Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Families

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the routine use by his Department of the family test; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Officials in my Department have liaised with Department of Work and Pensions as the lead department for the Family Test on cross government activity to embed and encourage routine use of the Test. This has included training officials on applying the Test, disseminating relevant learning materials and best practice.

Aviation: South East

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the contribution of competition between airports to the future development of the aviation industry in the South East; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has received assurances from Heathrow Airport that it will meet all of the Airports Commission recommendations before a decision is made on airport expansion; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report before taking any decisions on next steps.The Government will carefully consider all the evidence set out when making a decision on additional runway capacity.

Driving: Mobile Phones

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding in the RAC report, Motoring 2015, published in September 2015, that 12 per cent of motorists think it is acceptable to make a short call on a hand-held mobile device whilst driving; and what measures his Department plans to take to research the potential effectiveness and enforcement of legislation on the use of such devices for (a) phone calls and (b) using social media whilst driving.

Andrew Jones: It is illegal to use a hand held device to make phone calls or use social media whilst driving. The Department is considering the findings of the research study undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) which looked at the prevalence of phone use across England and Scotland. This study will help inform future policy decisions. Effective enforcement will remain a key priority. The previous Government in 2013 increased the fixed penalty level for using a mobile phone at the wheel to £100 and the Department will continue to keep further deterrent measures under consideration.

London-Brighton Railway Line

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to maintain the current level of train services between Eastbourne and Gatwick Airport under any proposals for a second Brighton mainline; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The Government has recently commissioned the London and South Coast Rail Corridor Study to examine the strategic case for investment in existing and new rail capacity. The findings of the Study will help Ministers make decisions on future rail network investment, which will help shape service patterns to Eastbourne and other areas of the South Coast. The intent of the Study is to ensure that services meet the current and future needs of passengers on this critical link between London and the South Coast.

Transport: Per Capita Costs

Mr David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the per capita spending was on transport projects in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) London in each of the last five years.

Andrew Jones: a) Data on spend per head on transport projects is not available at the level of Greater Manchester.However, Greater Manchester has benefitted from significant transport investment over the last five years, for example, £140.8 million of Integrated Transport Block funding, £143.2 million for Highways Maintenance (2010-11 to 2014-15), £32.5 million from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund for the ‘Let’s Get to Work’ scheme, £32.49 million for the Manchester Cross City Bus Package (due for completion in November 2016) and £44m announced in July 2014 as part of the Local Growth Fund for 12 new light rail vehicles on Metrolink.(b) Spend per head on transport in London for the last five available years was as follows:Identifiable expenditure on transport in London 2009-10 to 2013-14Type of expenditure2009-10 outturn2010-11 outturn2011-12 outturn2012-13 outturn2013-14 outturnTotal expenditurePer head (£)747660597479511Capital expenditurePer head (£)448413362301332Current expenditurePer head (£)300247235178180Source: HM Treasury Country and Regional Analysis, 2014Spending on London’s transport networks benefits not just London residents but commuters and others travelling into London. London is the biggest city in the UK and a global capital. 850,000 commuters come into London per working day, and there are about 4 billion passenger journeys every year.The figures in recent years can be skewed by capital projects with uneven patterns of expenditure such as Crossrail and Thameslink (which also create jobs elsewhere).

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of testing all vehicles for emissions for (a) each car and (b) in total; and whether the Government will finance the total programme.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Statement of 10 November 2015 HCWS301, how many (a) types and (b) brands of vehicles he estimates (i) the UK, (ii) Germany and (iii) other countries will test as part of the broader testing programme for emissions deficiencies.

Andrew Jones: The cost of the evaluation programme are still being developed, but it is estimated that testing could cost up to £15,000 per vehicle.We have approved a budget of £675,000 from public funds to ensure that this important work can proceed. However, we have also agreed with ministers in Germany and in France that we will collaborate and secure best value for the taxpayer.The UK programme will consider, without bias, vehicles from 19 manufacturers. The programme will assess approximately 70 different models. However, we have been in contact with ministers in Germany and in France and we have agreed that we should work cooperatively to ensure that we rationalise our respective test programmes to avoid duplication of testing.The cost of recalling the vehicles in the UK will be met by Volkswagen group and will not fall to the public purse.

Department for Transport: Public Expenditure

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what effect the spending reductions agreed between his Department and HM Treasury will have on the (a) Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, (b) Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, (c) Maritime and Coastguard Agency and (d) Vehicle Certification Agency.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government will provide full details of the Spending Review outcome on 25 November.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Disclosure of Information

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with whom did the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency share licence data in 2014-15; and what payments were received for such data sharing.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) discloses personal data from its registers to authorised third parties with a legitimate reason for requesting it. Data is only disclosed where it is fair and lawful to do so and in compliance with the Data Protection Act. Comprehensive safeguards are in place to ensure that DVLA data provided to third parties is requested for specific purposes and is used appropriately. Information on the organisations that the DVLA discloses data to can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/who-dvla-shares-data-withIn 2014/15, the DVLA received £15.1m from data sharing activities. The DVLA’s data release charges are set to recover the cost of providing the information. While DVLA is permitted to charge a fee for the release of information under the reasonable cause provisions, it is not permitted to profit from it. The fees are set to recover the related administrative costs and so that it is the applicant and not the taxpayer who funds this activity.

Heathrow Airport

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport on (a) London's air quality and (b) greenhouse gas emission levels.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is currently considering the very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report.Any decision regarding future airport capacity will take into account the Government’s commitment to comply with EU air quality standards and its obligations under the 2008 Climate Change Act.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Homelessness

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homelessness applications were made to local authorities as a result of an applicant losing their home to repossession in each of the last 10 years; and in what proportion of such applications the people were accepted as unintentionally homeless and in priority need.

Mr Marcus Jones: Statistics on the reasons for loss of last home are only held for those households who are accepted as unintentionally homeless and in priority need. The numbers of acceptances who lost their last home as a result of mortgage arrears in the last 10 years are shown in the attached table.



Table
(Word Document, 21.08 KB)

Local Government: Bullying

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of codes of conduct protecting officers of local authorities from bullying and intimidation.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to reduce barriers to officers of local authorities reporting bullying and intimidation by those in senior positions within their local authority.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authority staff report bullying and intimidation each year.

Mr Marcus Jones: Bullying and intimidation are serious matters and all employers, including local authorities, should have in place arrangements to ensure employees can safely report this behaviour, including by those in a senior position.My Department does not collect information about incidents of bullying or intimidation of local authority staff, nor have we made any assessment of council codes of conduct to protect officers from such behaviour.

Natural Gas

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many complaints about (a) natural gas or (b) inadequate safeguards to detect natural gas have been lodged with councils in the last year.

James Wharton: The Department does not hold this information. The Health and Safety Executive collects data on gas related incidents which are reportable under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.

Carbon Monoxide: Poisoning

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the proportion of people who are at high risk from carbon monoxide poisoning.

James Wharton: The Department does not make a direct estimate of the proportion of people at high risk from carbon monoxide poisoning. The Department has however published analysis that shows solid fuel combustion appliances have the highest risk of accidental carbon monoxide poisonings when compared to other fuels.Since 2010, Building Regulations in England have required carbon monoxide alarms when new or replacement solid fuel burning appliances are installed.From 1 October 2015, the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 require private rented sector landlords to have at least one smoke alarm installed on every storey of their rental property which is used as living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation where solid fuel is used.

Homelessness

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made by the Ministerial Working Group on Preventing and Tackling Homelessness.

Mr Marcus Jones: I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Ministerial Statement made by my hon. Friend the Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Kris Hopkins) on 26 March 2015, HCWS498, that sets out the considerable progress achieved by the Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness in the last Parliament. Local authorities and the voluntary and community sector have used the £500 million provided by this Government since 2010 to tackle and prevent homelessness, stopping 935,800 households from becoming homeless in the first place. It has also helped launch a significant number of important initiatives, including:No Second Night Out, supported by the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund, ensuring that rough sleepers receive the rapid support they need to move off the streets.A £5 million investment into the world’s first homelessness social impact bond delivering long term outcomes for 831 of London’s most frequent rough sleepers.The £15 million Fair Chance Fund, using payment by results and social investment to support 1,600 vulnerable young people into accommodation, training and employment.Department of Health’s £10 million Hospital Homeless Discharge Fund, supporting 52 voluntary sector-led projects to improve hospital discharge for homeless people so that their health and housing needs are properly addressed.£13 million to Crisis to support 10,000 single homeless people into accommodation in the private rented sector by 2016.This Government remains committed to preventing and tackling homelessness. The Working Group is meeting again on Monday 30 November.

Housing: Disability

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the building of bungalows and other homes accessible to people with limited mobility.

James Wharton: National planning policy sets out clearly the need for local authorities to plan for the housing needs of all members of the community and that planning should encourage accessibility. In March this year the Department published further planning guidance to make clear how councils can plan ahead to meet the needs of an ageing population, and consider the types of homes they would need to build locally. This can include bungalows and homes designed with older people in mind offering for example, step-free access, downstairs bathrooms, or wider halls and doorways.New Building Regulations came into force in October which included a new standard for accessibility, higher than the current national minimum standard, which a local authority can apply where needs and viability tests are met.

Children: Disadvantaged

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many children in families on the troubled families programme were classified as in need in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Greg Clark: Holding answer received on 18 November 2015



My Department does not hold information on specific numbers of children classified as ‘Child in Need’ on the current Troubled Families Programme.However, for the original Troubled Families Programme, which ran from 2012 - 2015, it was estimated that 23% of families contained one or more children with a Child in Need status.

Housing: Disability

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to housing associations on the proportion of their new build properties that must be capable of adaptation.

Brandon Lewis: The Government does not issue specific guidance to housing associations on the proportion of their new build properties that must be capable of adaption.Local authorities are best placed to understand the housing needs in their area. National policy sets out clearly the need for local authorities to plan for the housing needs of all members of the community.On 1 October, new optional Building Regulations came into force to make new homes more adaptable to peoples changing needs over time. Housing associations could choose to implement this, or any other adaptable housing standard, when setting standards for the new homes they build.Separately through the Care and Support Specialised Housing fund the Government is providing up to £315 million to build over 4,000 specialised homes for older and disabled people.

Communities and Local Government: Employment Agencies

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost of using external agencies for recruitment to senior Civil Service posts in his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Brandon Lewis: The total sums spent on using external agencies for recruitment to senior civil service posts in DCLG are as follows:2010-2011 - £16,448.382011-12 - £10,9502012-13 - Nil2013-14 - £14,2002014-15 - Nil2015-date - NilThese figures exclude Public Appointments and Cabinet Office recruitment but are inclusive of VAT.

Almshouses: Right to Buy Scheme

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to revise the agreement reached with the National Housing Federation on right to buy to expressly state that almshouse licensees will not have the right to buy.

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to revise the agreement reached with the National Housing Federation on right to buy to remove references to almshouses in the table of discretionary sales.

Brandon Lewis: Almshouses are exempt from the Right to Buy for council housing. This long-standing exemption will also apply to the extended Right to Buy for housing associations.

Homelessness

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of how many people were recorded as homeless in each county region in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government collects and publishes data on statutory homelessness in England at a local authority district level only.The figures for the number of households accepted as statutorily homeless for each local authority district are available within Live Tables 784 and 784a at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessnessThis Government has provided more than £500 million to tackle and prevent homelessness since 2010. This has resulted in local authorities preventing 935,800 households from becoming homeless since then.

House of Commons Commission

Palace of Westminster: Fire Prevention

Neil Gray: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, for what reasons a fire safety contract with Norland Managed Services, London has been awarded outwith the Restoration and Renewal project for the Palace of Westminster.

Tom Brake: This contract is one element of a wider programme to achieve compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 by the end of 2018, in accordance with a commitment the House made in 2011 to the Crown Premises Inspection Group.Achieving compliance will reduce the risk of fire causing loss of life or injury to individuals, destroying or damaging the building, or disrupting the work of Parliament.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Employment Agencies

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the cost of using external agencies for recruitment of Senior Civil posts in his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The cost to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of using external agencies for the recruitment of Senior Civil Service posts in the last 5 financial years is set out in the table below:Financial YearCost2010-11£161,7062011-12£32,0282012-13£102,3902013-14£70,3472014-15£20,300Total£386,771We predominantly use external recruitment firms for specialist roles where the necessary experience and expertise does not exist elsewhere in the Civil Service

Colombia: Hunger Strikes

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Colombian government about the FARC prisoners on hunger strike.

Mr Hugo Swire: We understand that there are members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on hunger strike in 13 prisons across the country. Whilst the United Kingdom cannot interfere in Colombia’s judicial process, we have in the past raised concerns regarding due process and prison conditions with the Government of Colombia – particularly in relation to imprisoned trade unionists. That said we do not currently intend to make specific representations to the Colombian government about the current hunger strike by members of the FARC.

Falkland Islands

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Falkland Islands of the results of the recent Argentinian presidential election.

Mr Hugo Swire: As my honourable Friend will know, Argentina held an inconclusive first round of Presidential elections last month. A second round is due to take place on 22 November.

Wales Office

Environment Protection: Wales

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, on what grounds the decision was taken to refuse Crown consent for provisions within the Environment Bill currently passing through the Welsh Assembly.

Stephen Crabb: The Welsh Government has sought the consent of the Secretary of State to impose the biodiversity duty in the Environment (Wales) Bill on Ministers of the Crown. This request is the subject of ongoing discussions between the UK Government and the Welsh Government.

Health Services: Wales

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the differences in provision of healthcare in areas adjoining the border between England and Wales.

Stephen Crabb: Everyone should have access to the very best healthcare possible wherever they live. The presence of a border between England and Wales should not create disadvantages for patients.While the NHS in England exists to benefit the people of England, and the NHS in Wales exists to benefit the people of Wales, NHS commissioners in either country are able to commission services from providers on both sides of the border.

Attorney General

Crown Prosecution Service: Staff

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of the total expenditure on (a) in-house advocates and (b) external advocates in (i) magistrates' courts and (ii) the Crown court in each year since 2010-11; and what the average saving to the Crown Prosecution Service was from using in-house advocates in each of those years.

Jeremy Wright: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) estimate of costs of in-house advocates conducting magistrates’ courts advocacy and actual expenditure on agents in magistrates’ courts for each of the last five years is contained in table 1.The CPS estimate of costs of in-house advocates conducting Crown Court advocacy and actual expenditure on external advocates in relation to Crown Court (and Higher Court) advocacy for each of the last five years is contained in table 2.CPS estimate of savings generated by deploying in-house advocates in the Crown Court for each of the last five years is contained in table 3.Data is not available on average or cumulative savings generated by using in-house advocates in magistrates’ courts. However, the comparative costs of Associate Prosecutors, Crown Prosecutors and agents for conducting a half-day session for each of the last five years are contained in table 4.TABLE 1Estimated costs of CPS Magistrates’ Courts advocacyAssociate Prosecutor Crown ProsecutorAgent Expenditure2010-1112,164,06829,655,6234,098,6662011-1211,581,06426,877,1073,490,8912012-139,931,43720,121,0067,286,0852013-148,159,30717,867,6147,666,1572014-157,182,37816,812,2307,318,740Notes:1) Estimated costs of Crown Prosecutor sessions, include Senior Crown Prosecutor2) Estimated in-house costs on three hours activity per half-day session at full-cost rates3) Agent expenditure is actual expenditure, including VAT4) Expenditure data source: CPS accounting system5) Prosecutor cost data source: Sessions = CIS; Cost = Finance Directorate 6) The figures above are not inflation adjustedTABLE 2Estimated costs of CPS Crown Court advocacyEstimated in-house advocate costsExpenditure on external advocates2010-1120,020,236134,194,8692011-1220,787,591111,041,0442012-1320,286,293110,608,5242013-1421,759,812114,606,5412014-1515,932,453118,522,045Notes:1) External advocate costs include VAT2) Expenditure on external advocates will include some advocacy in Higher Courts.3) Expenditure on external advocates includes central Casework Divisions4) In-house advocacy cost data source: CPS Corporate Information System5) Expenditure data source: CPS accounting system6) The figures above are not inflation adjustedTABLE 3CPS estimated savings in external advocate fees by deploying in-house advocates in the Crown Court2010-1111,808,6672011-1212,375,0992012-1310,321,9422013-147,130,0802014-159,672,863Notes:1) Savings based on estimate of counsel fees saved minus full cost of deploying in-house advocate2) Savings data source: CPS Corporate Information System  3) The figures above are not inflation adjustedTABLE 4CPS estimated cost of conducting half-day magistrates' courts session£Associate Prosecutor Crown ProsecutorAgent 2010-111131531502011-121151561502012-131171581502013-141171611502014-15117163150Notes:1) In-house costs estimated, based on 3 hours activity, at full-cost rates2) Crown Prosecutor session costs includes Senior Crown Prosecutor3) Agent half-day session rate includes VAT at 20%4) Data source for staff costs: Finance Directorate 5) The figures above are not inflation adjusted

Attorney General: Public Expenditure

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of expenditure in (a) 2014-15 prices and (b) as a proportion of total Departmental spending on (i) temporary agency staff, (ii) consultants, (iii) non-payroll staff, (iv) administration and (v) marketing and advertising in each year since 2010-11.

Robert Buckland: Holding answer received on 16 November 2015



The following tables contain details of the expenditure incurred by the Law Officers’ Departments in the categories requested during the last five financial years. Expenditure has not been restated in 2014-15 prices, as to do so would incur a disproportionate cost.Expenditure – Government Legal Department 12010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Temporary Agency staff 2£2,921k£3,589k£5,248k£9,097k£11,935k% of Outturn2.7%3.1%4.5%6.5%6.6%Consultants£9k£43k£11k£4k£24k% of Outturn*****Recruitment advertising 3£12k£25k£11k£45k£88k% of Outturn*****Revenue expenditure 4£109,102K£116,648k£116,128k£139,163k£179,816k% of outturn100%100%100%100%100%1 GLD figures also cover the Attorney General’s Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate. The information is taken from the published accounts for HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor. All GLD revenue expenditure is classified in the accounts as administration 2 GLD do not have non-payroll staff other than agency and contracted staff.3 GLD do not routinely incur expenditure on marketing or advertising our services and do not separately capture these costs except those in relation to advertising for new staff. The amounts relating to these adverts are shown above.4 All GLD revenue expenditure is classified in the accounts as administration. * Proportion of spending less than 0.1% of outturn.Expenditure – Serious Fraud Office 12010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Temporary Agency staff£3,693k£2,296k£2,672k£3,926k£4,610k% of Outturn9%6%7%8%8%Consultants£1,557k£856k£31k£48k£7k% of Outturn4%2%***Marketing and advertising£9k£73k£6k£21k£30k% of Outturn*****AdministrationNil2£7,546k£7,019k£7,281k£6,237k% of outturnN/A20%17%14%11%1 SFO do not have non-payroll staff other than agency and contracted staff.2 From 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2011 all operating costs for the SFO were classified as programme costs. The Comprehensive Spending Review 2010, which covered the financial years 2011/12 to 2014/15, reinstated the requirement for reporting expenditure split between programme & Administration.* Proportion of spending less than 1% of outturn.Expenditure – Crown Prosecution Service 12010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Temporary Agency staff£1,616,284£257,057£66,866£189,624£491,303% of Outturn0.23%0.04%0.01%0.03%0.09%Consultants£684,314£13,347£9,793£960Nil% of Outturn0.1%***NilNon payroll staff£392,968£23,355£2,861£273,935£1,350,317% of Outturn****0.24%Administration£21,704,994£9,637,983£13,627,407£12,426,376£11,826,562% of outturn3.11%1.48%2.18%2.03%2.07%1 No money was spent by the CPS on marketing and advertising in the relevant period other than when recruiting for vacant posts.* Proportion of spending less than 0.1% of outturn.

Crown Prosecution Service: Costs

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2015 to Question 12365, what savings have resulted from the police-led prosecution initiative in each year since 2012-13.

Robert Buckland: The police-led prosecution initiative has led to a significant reduction in motoring offences prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in magistrate courts, as the following figures indicate:Motoring offence cases finalised in the Magistrates Court2012-13: 229,8752013-14: 171,5172014-15: 112,955While the reduction has led to a fall in expenditure on these low-level cases, the overall effect on CPS budgets has been cost-neutral. A high proportion of these cases are dealt with as summary first-time guilty pleas, in which the Court requires the defendant to pay the prosecution costs as part of any financial penalty. Therefore, whilst the CPS has benefitted from a reduction in expenditure, it has foregone the receipt of cost awards that are routinely made in motoring offence cases, as these awards are now payable to the police.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Business: Greater London

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect on businesses in London of withdrawing from the EU.

Anna Soubry: The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. Reforms will benefit business and investment and many businesses in London agree.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what position the UK's representatives at the (a) Trade Policy Committee and (b) Foreign Affairs Council have taken on the replacement of the Investor State Dispute Settlements mechanism with an Investment Court System in the negotiations over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Anna Soubry: On 16 September, the European Commission published a draft of its proposed text for the investment protection provisions in the EU-US free trade agreement, also known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.In discussions on these proposals with the European Commission and Member States, UK representatives have expressed support for the European Commission’s ongoing initiative to reform the investment provisions used in its trade and investment agreements. UK representatives have also raised questions of detail on how the proposed text will continue to safeguard governments’ right to regulate lawfully and in the public interest, while ensuring that UK investors are treated fairly overseas by foreign governments.The final content of the investment protection provisions in the EU-US free trade agreement will be subject to the outcome of negotiations between the EU and the US. The inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will not threaten the right of the UK or Devolved Administrations to regulate or determine public policy. The Commission has published a proposal for reforms to investment protections in this agreement, which includes a clause setting out governments’ right to regulate.The UK will work with the Commission on this proposal to ensure that UK investors are treated fairly overseas by foreign governments while allowing governments to regulate lawfully and in the public interest.

Further Education

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish a timetable for the review of post-16 education and training by area; and  when such reviews will take place.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to his Department's publication, Reviewing post-16 education and training institutions, of 20 July 2015, how much his Department expects to save as a result of implementing the proposals set out therein.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when post-16 education will be reviewed in Merseyside under the area review process; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: The reviews are aimed at delivering a skills system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity. Their purpose is not to secure savings to Government. However, early evidence from the pilot reviews indicates that there is potential for the reviews to secure efficiency savings.The second wave of area reviews will start in January 2016 and we aim to announce details within the next few weeks. We are currently looking at the geographies and phasing for other areas and will aim to issue further information on this before the end of the year but in doing this we recognise that the position should remain fluid to take account of the views of local partners and also cases of college failure. We expect all reviews to be completed by March 2017.

Royal Hospital Haslar: Regeneration

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department has attracted in investment to regenerate the site of the Royal Hospital Haslar; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: UK Trade and Investment’s (UKTI) Regeneration Investment Organisation is promoting the Royal Haslar Hospital site for international investment. To date, no investment has been attracted into the site by UKTI.

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the likely impact of freezing the earnings repayment thresholds for 24+ Advanced Learner Loans on the Resource Account and Budgeting charge of outstanding debt which will be written off for 24+ Advanced Learner Loans.

Nick Boles: We estimate the RAB charge under option 1 (freeze threshold for all Plan 2 loans, existing and new borrowers from April 2016 to April 2021) will decrease by about 5 percentage points from the current level of 55% to 50%.Further information on the impact of freezing the earnings repayment thresholds for 24+ Advanced Learning Loans on future repayments is shown in the Consultation on freezing the student loan repayment thresholds, which has been published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/freezing-the-student-loan-repayment-threshold

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the likely impact of proposed changes to student loan repayment thresholds on repayment regimes for those students who take out 24+ Advanced Learner Loan and who study for an Access to HE qualification but then do not complete an HE qualification.

Nick Boles: Where a learner takes out a loan to fund an Access to HE Diploma course, and then goes on to complete their HE Diploma course, then the 24+ Advanced Learning Loan is written off.The impact of freezing the threshold for students who take out 24+ Advanced Learning Loans to study for an Access to HE qualification but do not complete an HE qualification will be similar to the impact for all 24+ Advanced Learning Loan borrowers.Estimates of the impact of freezing the repayment thresholds for 24+ Advanced Learning Loans borrowers are illustrated in the consultation document, which has been published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/freezing-the-student-loan-repayment-threshold

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the likely impact of proposed changes to student loan repayment thresholds on repayment regimes for students who take out 24+ Advanced Learner Loan and who study for a Level 3 qualification who then study for and complete an HE qualification.

Nick Boles: The impact of freezing the threshold for students who take out 24+ Advanced Learning Loans to study Level 3 qualification who then complete an HE qualification will be similar to the impact for all HE borrowers.Estimates of the impact of freezing the repayment thresholds for HE borrowers are illustrated in the consultation document, which has been published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/freezing-the-student-loan-repayment-threshold

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the Resource Account and Budgeting charge of outstanding debt which will be written off for 24+ Advanced Learner Loans in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Nick Boles: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) models the proportion of loans which we expect will not be repaid – the resource accounting and budgeting charge (RAB charge). The RAB charge is estimated to be 50% in 2013-14 and 55% in 2014-15. BIS is collecting data on learners as it emerges and based on this data we regularly review and update the RAB charge estimate.We publish the RAB charge once a year in BIS’ accounts.

Office for Nuclear Regulation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect on the ability of the Office for Nuclear Regulation to carry out its safety and security regulatory functions in full of the guidance set out in the Legislative and Regulatory Reform (Regulatory Functions) (Amendment) Order 2014.

Anna Soubry: The Regulators’ Code which came into force in April 2014 was issued as guidance under the Legislative and Regulatory Reform (Regulatory Functions) (Amendment) Order 2014. The code provides guidance for all regulators whose functions are specified and a framework for how they should engage with those they regulate when exercising their regulatory functions independently from Government. This includes providing straightforward ways for businesses to engage, basing regulatory activities on risk and helping businesses to comply by publishing clear information, guidance and advice.The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is required to have regard to the code when developing policies and operational procedures which guide their regulatory activities. However, the Regulators’ Code states that where a regulator concludes, on the basis of material evidence, that a specific area of the code is either not applicable or outweighed by another relevant consideration, then the regulator is not bound by that provision but should record the decision and their rationale. This acknowledges certain circumstances where regulators may not be able to follow all provisions of the code, for example decisions concerning safety and security, and that they will not be bound by the provision where these considerations justifiably outweigh provisions of the Regulators’ Code.The ONR is expected to demonstrate compliance with the Code without compromising its core purpose of nuclear safety and security. The ONR has recently published the results of a review they undertook to assess compliance against the Code in September 2015: http://news.onr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/report.pdf.

Paternity Leave

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of the right to statutory paternity leave.

Nick Boles: The Government provides comprehensive guidance on statutory paternity leave and pay on the GOV.UK website.The right to take paternity leave is now well established. The latest information from the Maternity and Paternity Rights Survey undertaken in 2009-10 suggests that 91% of fathers take some time off after their babies’ birth.The Coalition Government undertook a campaign to raise awareness of the introduction of Shared Parental Leave, which came into force on 1 December 2014 for parents of children due (or placed for adoption) on or after 5 April 2015. Shared Parental Leave enables fathers to play a greater role in raising their child and enables mothers to return to work at a time that is right for them.

Apprentices: Taxation

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the appropriateness of the level of apprenticeship levy funding for (a) SMEs in general and (b) creative industry SMEs.

Nick Boles: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will announce further details of the apprenticeship levy at the Spending Review, including the scope and rate.

Construction Leadership Council

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many members of the new Construction Leadership Council have been confirmed in their positions; what the roles of those members are; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, who drafted the terms of reference for the new Construction Leadership Council; how those terms of reference were decided on; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the new Construction Leadership Council will assume the responsibilities previously held by the Chief Construction Adviser from November 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the terms of reference for the new Construction Leadership Council have been published; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: Membership and general terms of reference for the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) have been published on the Government website (https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/construction-leadership-council).Detailed terms of reference were drafted by the secretariat, discussed by the co-chairs and circulated to members, along with other papers for the October 2015 meeting.They will be published, along with the minutes, on the Government website in due course.Under co-chairs myself and Andrew Wolstenholme, Chief Executive of Crossrail, the CLC has a number of work streams led by council members:Business models / supply chain - Madani Sow (Bouygues UK)Skills - Anna Stewart (Laing O’Rourke)Sustainability - Mike Putnam (Skanksa UK)Trade – David Cash (BDP)Communications – Simon Rawlinson (Arcadis).Discussions on the lead for the innovation work stream are ongoing.The Chief Construction Adviser role covered a range of functions which will be absorbed by Government and industry, including the CLC. In addition to identifying and delivering priority actions under the themes above, the Government will look to the CLC for advice on specific policy challenges - as is the case with the recently announced review of the practice of cash retention.

Further Education: Greater London

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much central funding has been provided to further education establishments in (a) London, (b) the London Borough of Lewisham, (c) the London Borough of Southwark and (d) the London Borough of Bromley in each of the last five years.

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many students have enrolled on English language courses at further education establishments in (a) London, (b) the London Borough of Lewisham, (c) the London Borough of Southwark and (d) the London Borough of Bromley in each of the last five years.

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many students have enrolled at further education establishments in (a) London, (b) the London Borough of Lewisham, (c) the London Borough of Southwark and (d) the London Borough of Bromley in each of the last five years.

Nick Boles: Adult skills funding allocations to further education providers are published on the Skills Funding Agency website:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2015-to-2016https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2014-to-2015https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2005-to-2013Funding to further education providers for learners aged 16-18 is provided by the Department for Education.Information on the number of learners participating in English and maths courses by geography from 2005/06 onwards is published in a supplementary table (first link) to a Statistical First Release at the FE Data Library (second link). Information on the number of learners participating in further education and skills by geography from 2005/06 onwards is published in a second supplementary table (third link).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/382085/englishandmaths-participation-by-geography-learner-demographics.xlschttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fe-data-libraryhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/378262/feandskills-participation-by-geography-learner-demographics.xls

Trading Standards

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what guidance his Department gives to local authorities on the statutory minimum level for a local authority trading standards service.

Nick Boles: There is no statutory minimum level for a local authority trading standards service. It is a locally based service, accountable to local communities and therefore the decision making process lies at a local level.

Science: Finance

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of increasing spending on the science capital commitment on UK productivity.

Joseph Johnson: This Government recognises the value of science and innovation as a driver of economic success. We protected the science ring-fence over the last Parliament and are investing £6.9 billion in science capital from this year to 2021. There is clear and robust evidence of a link between R&D investment and national productivity, including in OECD Economic Working Paper 843 (2011): http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/download/5kghwnhxwkhj.pdf?expires=1447868224&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=FD50F59A6AFEEC34AE58B844317965CE

Higher Education: Admissions

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice, CM 9141, what steps he is taking to implement the commitment to double the proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education by 2020.

Joseph Johnson: We have already taken significant steps. In particular, from 2015/16, we have removed the cap on student numbers. Publicly funded institutions can now recruit as many students as they wish if they deem them to be suitable. We have also established a stronger framework with increased responsibility placed on providers to widen access. The Director of Fair Access has agreed 183 Access Agreements for 2016/17 containing an estimated £745m to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds.The Green Paper Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice, CM 9141 set out steps the Government plan to take to increase the proportion of students from disadvantaged background entering higher education. Further progress will come from the new guidance that we plan to issue to the Director of Fair Access, and through the social mobility taskforce being set up by Universities UK.

Student Opportunity Fund

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans he has for the future of the Student Opportunity Fund.

Joseph Johnson: We are examining all elements of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spend as part of the Spending Review, which will be published on the 25th November.The Department will set out its priorities for higher education in the subsequent Grant Letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Final decisions will be for HEFCE, taking account of the Grant Letter.

Department for International Development

Refugees

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2015 to Question 10198, whether funding to settle refugees within the UK will be allocated solely from the overseas aid budget.

Justine Greening: In line with the internationally agreed rules on Official Development Assistance (ODA), expenditure to support refugees in the UK for the first twelve months of their stay will be allocated from the overseas aid budget.

West Africa: Health Services

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to improve the resilience of healthcare provision in West Africa.

Grant Shapps: In countries affected by the Ebola virus, DFID is committed to building resilient health systems and to ensuring we learn the lessons from the crisis.The World Health Organisation declared Sierra Leone ‘Ebola free’ on 7 November 2015. The UK’s objective is to maintain the vigilance necessary to prevent any future outbreaks from growing into epidemics. The UK has announced a two-year £240 million package of support to Sierra Leone’s long term recovery, which includes boosting capability to respond to future Ebola outbreaks, and improving basic services including, vitally, healthcare. DFID will also support Liberia’s Health Pooled fund with £6 million to help ensure that health system is resilient to future shocks.Beyond Sierra Leone and Liberia, DFID is providing £17 million through its Regional Preparedness Programme, which aims to prevent the transmission and spread of the Ebola in at-risk countries in West Africa; and to strengthen national capacities to accelerate preparedness measures and improve readiness to detect and act to contain disease outbreaks.In doing this, as well as through wider health programmes across West Africa, we are helping countries to have better health systems for normal times – as well as in case of emergency.

Developing Countries

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much Ministry of Defence expenditure her Department considered to be spending on international development in each year from 2006 to 2014.

Grant Shapps: The Ministry of Defence did not spend any Official Development Assistance during the years 2006-2010. Figures for 2011-2014 are shown in the table below.MoD Spend on ODA (£m)20112012201320145533*   *2014 data is provisional. Final figures for 2014 will be published on the DFID website on Thursday 3rd December 2015.

Nigeria: Politics and Government

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will assess the effect on the Nigerian (a) economy and (b) society of (i) Boko Haram and (ii) other terrorist groups.

Grant Shapps: Terrorist activities from Boko Haram and other groups have killed more than 15,000 people and caused a major humanitarian crisis. There are an estimated 2.2 million internally displaced people, most of them in host communities, putting an additional pressure on what is already a fragile social environment. Around 6.4 million people are in need of humanitarian support due to disruption of food supply, limitation of livelihood activities, and destruction of basic service facilities like health centres or schools. An estimated 600,000 children are out of school.Boko Haram violent extremism has destroyed the economy in the North East. Local chambers of commerce in the North East report that business activity has dropped by 80% over the past three years. The national economy is also affected. Major trade routes for the Nigerian market and with neighbouring countries have been disrupted. And the need for the Government of Nigeria to spend significant additional resources on emergency response and defence has reduced funds available for economic and social investments.In response to this crisis, DFID is providing a substantial package of security, development and humanitarian support to Nigeria including a £6.5 million in humanitarian programme and a £5.4 million development portfolio in Yobe state. This is complemented by a £12.1 million funding through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) for programmes implemented by DFID and other departments to mitigate conflict and enhance security forces capability. During my visit to Nigeria in October, I saw first-hand the interfaith peace clubs supported by DFID to build community cohesion and the excellent work the UK military is doing in training the Nigerian army in the fight against Boko Haram.

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Mrs Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of her Department's budget was spent on supporting water, sanitation and hygiene services in each of the last five years.

Grant Shapps: Expenditure by sector is reported in Statistics on International Development (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-2014).The table below shows the proportion of DFID bilateral aid spent on water, sanitation and hygiene for the last 5 years for which data are available.2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/14Water and Sanitation Expenditure (£ million)106112142130163Proportion of Total DFID Bilateral Programme 2.7%2.6%3.4%3.1%3.0%When DFID or other UK government departments provide core contributions in support of multilateral organisations, we do not break down by sector. However, there are a number of multilateral organisations that are focussed on water and sanitation. Details of the contributions from DFID to each multilateral organisation can be found at Table A8, online at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-2014.

Ethiopia: Droughts

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what additional support her Department plans to give to Ethiopia because of drought in that country in 2015-16.

Grant Shapps: We are extremely concerned about the impact of the current drought on the food security situation in Ethiopia. A joint Government of Ethiopia and UN assessment is underway and we are in touch with our UN and Non-Governmental Organisation partners on the ground to determine the extent of need.In October, the Government of Ethiopia announced that about 8.2 million people are in need of emergency food aid, up from the 4.5 million estimated in August. The number of severely malnourished children under five years old admitted to therapeutic feeding programmes this year has increased notably.Britain has acted quickly and decisively by providing emergency support for 2.6 million people. This includes food aid for 2.1 million people for a month. The Government of Ethiopia has also committed its largest ever response to a drought. The international community will need to work hard with the Government of Ethiopia to prevent the crisis from worsening in the coming months.DFID is at the forefront of resilience work to reduce the impact of crises in developing countries. In Ethiopia, DFID’s Productive Safety Nets Programme (PSNP) has helped turn desert land into land that can be farmed again.

Ethiopia: Famine

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will discuss with (a) EU partners and (b) the World Food Programme to ensure food supplies to people affected by the famine in Ethiopia.

Grant Shapps: We are extremely concerned about the impact of the current drought on the food security situation in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has shown great strides in development but remains fragile in the face of extreme climate events such as El Nino. The Government of Ethiopia is fully engaged and prioritising efforts to address the needs, having spent many years building up crisis response systems. The international community is working in support of the Government and the UK along with the EU, is one of the leading donors to the response. We are in daily contact with the World Food Programme (WFP) which is delivering supplies to people affected in support of the Government. A joint Government-UN assessment has just taken place and we are also assessing that food supplies reach those affected. We have also recently provided additional funding to WFP’s relief programme.DFID’s Permanent Secretary Mark Lowcock visited Ethiopia from 9-12 November, and discussed the situation with senior members of the Ethiopian Government and partners. We are urging others to do more to support the Government response to the crisis.

Malnutrition

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to support the eradication of malnutrition.

Grant Shapps: The Government has made a commitment to improve the nutrition of 50 million people by 2020. Those being helped include children under five, breastfeeding women, women of childbearing age and adolescent girls. This builds on an earlier commitment to help children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding women, through which 28.5 million people had been reached by mid-2015.DFID support is focused on the following objectives: greater coverage of nutrition-specific programmes; leverage more nutrition outcomes from other programmes like agriculture, social protection, education, health and water and sanitation; contribute to new solutions to undernutrition; and a more effective international response.

Developing Countries: Energy

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure UK support for energy in developing countries is directed towards low carbon technologies.

Grant Shapps: DFID supports the development and deployment of low carbon energy technologies through the International Climate Fund (ICF). Since 2011, the ICF has provided access to low carbon energy to more than 2.6 million people.On October 22nd I launched the Energy Africa campaign which will accelerate access to clean energy across sub-Saharan Africa via the market-based delivery of solar household systems providing the poorest with lighting, phone charging and other critical household electricity services. In addition, through the research we fund, we make a significant contribution to affordable clean energy solutions to meet the needs of the 1.1 billion people who currently lack electricity globally.

Department for Education

Education: Devolution

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her officials met with their counterparts in the devolved administrations in the last three years; and what the subjects for discussion or agreement were at each of those meetings.

Nick Gibb: Officials in the Department for Education are in contact with their counterparts in the devolved administrations on a range of subjects, such as cross-border checks on those working in childcare and participation in international studies, including the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment.To provide a complete breakdown of every meeting over the past three years would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

Sixth Form Education

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, why school and academy sixth forms have not been included in recommendations arising out of reviews of post-16 education and training; and if she will make a statement.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's publication, Reviewing post-16 education and training institutions, of 20 July 2015, how much her Department expects to save as a result of implementing the proposals set out therin.

Nick Boles: Area reviews of post-16 education and training institutions are predominantly focused on general further education and sixth form colleges in order to ensure that there are high quality, financially resilient colleges across the country. Schools with sixth forms can opt in to a review, if they wish to do so, and if they have the agreement of the review’s local steering group.Each review will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the current post-16 provision in the area which will include the offer made by schools with sixth forms. Regional Schools Commissioners and local authorities will sit on local area review steering groups. These groups will identify issues with school sixth form provision, including provision by academy sixth forms, free school sixth forms, and University Technical Colleges, and feed these issues into the reviews. We expect Regional Schools Commissioners and local authorities to take account of the analysis from area reviews in any decisions they make about future provision.The reviews are aimed at delivering a skills system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity. Early evidence from the pilot reviews indicates that there is also potential for the reviews to secure efficiency savings.

Secondary Education

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many planning areas in England are in need of additional secondary school places by September 2016; in how many of those planning areas has there never been an application to open a secondary or all-through mainstream free school; and in how of those planning areas there are no secondary or all-through mainstream free schools.

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many planning areas in England are in need of additional primary school places by September 2016; in how many of those planning areas there has never been an application to open a primary or all-through mainstream free school; and in how of those planning areas there are no primary or all-through mainstream free schools.

Edward Timpson: The Department collects information from each local authority on the number of available school places and pupil forecasts through the annual school capacity survey (SCAP). The main tables contain local authority level data. The underlying data on school capacity is published at school level and pupil forecasts at planning area level. The latest published data, relating to the position as reported at May 2014, can be found on GOV.UK [1].The Department also publishes local authority basic need scorecards for primary schools. The latest scorecards relate to 2014 capacity and contain departmental estimates of the number of additional primary school places needed to meet demand in 2016/17, once existing plans for new places have been factored in. The latest data and details of the methodology used for the estimates can be found on GOV.UK [2]The scorecard summary data shows that across England around 63,000 additional primary places were estimated to be needed to meet demand in 2016/17, based on capacity and planned places at May 2014. The Department does not publish data on the number of additional primary places needed to meet demand at planning area level.The Department does not currently publish basic need scorecards for secondary school places.Between 2003/4 and 2009/10 the total number of school places in the system reduced by 200,000, against a backdrop of rising birth rates. That is why the Coalition Government doubled the funding available to create new school places during the last Parliament to £5 billion, and this Government has committed to invest a further £7 billion during this Parliament. The latest published information shows there were 445,000 more school places in May 2014 than in May 2010, and we know that many more places have been delivered since then or are in the pipeline.Over this Parliament, we have committed to open at least 500 new free schools.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2013-to-2014[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/primary-school-places-local-authority-basic-need-scorecards-2014

Academies: Complaints

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many written complaints her Department received about academy brokers in each year since 2010.

Edward Timpson: All of the contractors offering specialist educational advice are now defined as ‘Education Advisers’. Some of the Education Advisers work as academy brokers but may undertake other functions. All complaints made against Education Advisers have been recorded centrally since June 2011.Since then, the Department has received 13 written complaints in total. Investigations have been concluded and resolved to the Department’s satisfaction; the majority were found to be without basis.In each case the complainant was given feedback on the investigation and was informed of how they could pursue their complaint further if they were not satisfied with the outcome. In two cases, complaints were partially upheld; and another was upheld.Providing further information about the nature of the complaints, and the grounds on which they were partially or fully upheld, would risk identifying individual cases and therefore jeopardise the confidentiality afforded to the complainant and subject, and be prejudicial to the effective conduct of public affairs.

Academies

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academy brokers there are; and how much her Department spent on academy brokers in each financial year since 2010.

Edward Timpson: The Department no longer has dedicated academy brokers. We have procured a pool of educational experts, through open competition. Notionally, each Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC) will have a pool of experts to support them in their work, to call upon as required.The Department has spent the following on Education Advisers, doing brokerage work, in each financial year since 2010:2010/11 £1,497,856 [1]2011/12 £2,829,582.59[2]2012/13 £4,438,358.13 [3]2013/14 £3,031,794.39 [4]2014/15 £2,192,228[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/request-for-numbers-costs-contracts-and-pay-of-academy-brokers/request-for-numbers-costs-contracts-and-pay-of-academy-brokers[2] http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201213/ldhansrd/text/130225w0003.htm[3] http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm130610/text/130610w0004.htm[4] http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm140721/text/140721w0003.htm

Education: Africa

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what joint work she and her French counterpart are undertaking on providing governance and capacity-building support for francophone Africa.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education is not undertaking any work on providing governance and capacity-building support for Francophone Africa.

Secondary Education: Racial Discrimination

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to tackle racism in secondary schools.

Nick Gibb: All forms of bullying and discrimination are unacceptable and all schools are required to have in place a behaviour policy with measures to tackle bullying, which includes racist bullying. They are held to account by Ofsted and inspectors will look at records and analysis of bullying, discriminatory and prejudicial behaviour, either directly or indirectly. This includes racist, disability and homophobic bullying, use of derogatory language and racist incidents.In addition, all schools are required to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faith and beliefs. Our guidance published in November 2014 says that British values include accepting that others of different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour.All publicly funded schools are required to promote community cohesion and teach a broad and balanced curriculum. The curriculum provides many opportunities to foster tolerance and understanding. As part of the history curriculum, pupils can learn about different cultures, and about how different groups have contributed to the development of Britain. The citizenship programme of study sets out a requirement for pupils to be taught about ‘the diverse national, regional, religious, and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding’. PSHE can teach young people about the rights and responsibilities of living in a diverse community and how to respect others.

Video Games: Curriculum

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a computer games studies qualification within the education curriculum.

Nick Gibb: We are reforming qualifications to make them more rigorous so that they better equip students for further academic study and the world of work.The new computing curriculum was introduced into schools in September 2014. The 2011 “Next Gen” report from leading figures in the creative industries informed the development of the new computing programmes of study. The report made a compelling case to replace the old ICT curriculum with a new curriculum that would give young people the skills to become makers rather than consumers, opening up careers in video games or other digital arts.Students who wish to go on to further study can develop specialisms in information science before progressing to higher education or employment, including technical certificates and tech levels to develop the knowledge and skills that enable entry to employment.We have no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a computer games studies qualification at GCSE or A level.

First Aid: Education

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the benefits of teaching first aid in schools on public health outcomes.

Edward Timpson: This Government believes that the teaching of first aid skills is important. The Department for Education works closely with expert organisations such as the Red Cross and St John Ambulance who provide learning materials to schools, including life-saving training kits produced by the British Heart Foundation. These kits provide young people with first-hand experience of life-saving skills and we have promoted the use of these via the termly school email and social media channels.How first aid is provided is up to teachers and is taught as part of personal, social, health and economic (PHSE) education in schools. In line with the continued drive to reduce bureaucracy and burdens on schools, we do not ask schools to routinely collect data on this.

Ministry of Justice

Crown Courts: Warrington

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many days the Crown Court sat in each court chamber at Warrington in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The information requested can be found in the table below.Crown Court sittings at Warrington (days):PeriodCourtroom 1Courtroom 2County Court courtroomJanuary to December 20131321202January to December 20141051821January to September 2015871044There are two dedicated Crown courtrooms in Warrington Combined Court, which also houses the County Court. The final column therefore sets out the number of days sat in County Court accommodation when, exceptionally, the Crown courtrooms were unavailable.

Trials

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, further to the Answer of 17 July 2013 to Question 163024, on Courts: Wales, what data his Department now centrally collates on litigants in person.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice does not collect information centrally on Litigants in Person in civil related court cases or family court cases.For both civil (non-family) and family court cases, quarterly figures are published broken down by legal representation. These can be found at http://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-justice-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2015.

Courts: Closures

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what account he has taken of accessibility of digital services for people who do not have access to the internet when considering potential court closures as part of proposals on the provision of the court and tribunal estate; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: An impact assessment was published alongside the consultation document. An updated impact assessment will be published with the consultation response, which will assess any further impacts identified from the responses received.

Ministry of Justice: Families

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of the family test on his Department's policies; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The Family Test was introduced in October 2014 and can be located at the following link Family Test GuidanceThe Family Test is part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of new policy in line with the guidance. Potential impacts of policy on family functioning and relationships are identified and brought to the attention of Ministers where appropriate.There is no requirement to publish the Family Test assessments. The Ministry of Justice does not collect information on the number of full Family Test assessments completed.

Ministry of Justice: Families

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to implement the family test.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of his Department's policies have been assessed against the family test; what steps he has taken to publish the outcome of such assessments; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The Family Test was introduced in October 2014 and can be located at the following link Family Test GuidanceThe Family Test is part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of new policy in line with the guidance. Potential impacts of policy on family functioning and relationships are identified and brought to the attention of Ministers where appropriate.There is no requirement to publish the Family Test assessments. The Ministry of Justice does not collect information on the number of full Family Test assessments completed.

Prisoners' Release: Curfews

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons the number of prisoners being released on Home Detention Curfews in Devon decreased between 2011 and 2014.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners released on a Home Detention Curfew in Devon broke their curfew conditions between 2011 and 2014.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners released under a Home Detention Curfew in Devon were returned to prison after breaking the conditions of such a curfew between 2011 and 2014.

Andrew Selous: The number of prisoners released on Home Detention Curfew (HDC) in England and Wales has fallen in recent years. This is principally due to the reduction in the number of prisoners eligible for the scheme.The Ministry of Justice only collates data on the number of prisoners released on HDC who are then recalled to prison for breach of their curfew conditions and this data is only available for England and Wales as a whole. It would incur disproportionate cost to isolate from this overall data those recalled prisoners who had been released on HDC from prisons in Devon.This data is published and can be located at the following link (table A3.5 details HDC recalls): https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/424903/prison-releases-annual-2014.xlsx

Prime Minister

China: Christianity

David Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister, whether he raised the issue of persecution and human rights abuse of Christians living in China during the recent state visit by President Xi Jinping.

Mr David Cameron: I was clear during my wide-ranging discussions with President Xi Jinping of the importance that the UK attaches to human rights as part of our wider relationship with China. The joint statement reconfirmed our commitment to the Human Rights Dialogue, an important part of our engagement.We raise the range of our human rights concerns directly with China, including during the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue, most recently in April 2015. We also highlight them publicly in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights. We will continue to pursue our concerns both privately and in public fora.We believe that freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right. I remain concerned by the restrictions placed on Christianity in China. We are aware of reports of the closure or demolition of churches, the removal of crosses from buildings, and that individuals are being harassed or detained for their beliefs.

India: Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, what matters relating to (a) nuclear disarmament and (b) nuclear non-proliferation he discussed with the Prime Minister of India during his visit to London in November 2015.

Mr David Cameron: During Prime Minister Modi’s visit India and the UK agreed a Defence and International Security Partnership that pledged to deepen our dialogue on disarmament and non-proliferation and work towards India’s entry into all Export Control Regimes. India and the UK also released a Joint Statement that welcomed the agreement reached earlier this year on Iran’s nuclear programme, and noted the strong commitment of the international community to its swift and full implementation.

Trident Missiles

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, on what date he wrote to the Commander of the at-sea Trident nuclear submarine giving guidance on the use of Trident ballistic missiles after he assumed the office of Prime Minister in 2010; and on what date he sent a message superseding the message given to the at-sea Commander of Trident by Gordon Brown while he was Prime Minister.

Mr David Cameron: It has been the practice of successive Governments for the incoming Prime Minister to provide written instructions to the Commanders of our nuclear armed submarines.The letters are one of the first actions carried out by the Prime Minister on assuming office and, given the security implications, it would be wholly inappropriate to comment further on the process.

Islamic State

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with his counterparts at the G20 in Turkey on support provided to ISIS by nationals of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the evidence provided to the G20 summit in Turkey by President Putin of Russia that funding for ISIS activities has come from countries within the G20.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Islington North (Mr Corbyn) on 18 November 2015 Official Report, column 667.I also refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave, during the Oral Statement on the G20 and Paris attacks that I made on 17 November, to the right hon. Member for Islington North (Mr Corbyn), Official Report, column 528, and to the right hon. Member for Gordon (Mr Salmond), Official Report, column 536.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Telecommunications: Infrastructure

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the contribution of fixed and mobile telecommunications infrastructure to productivity between (a) 2005 and 2010, (b) 2010 and 2015 and (c) 2015 and 2020.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Reliable and high quality fixed and mobile broadband connections support growth in productivity, efficiency and labour force participation across the whole economy. SQW Consulting’s UK Broadband impact study in 2013 estimated that the availability and take-up of faster broadband speeds will add about £17 billion to the UK’s annual Gross Value Added (GVA) by 2024. The bulk of this economic impact comes from improvements in the productivity of broadband-using firms

Broadband

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Universal Service Obligation on broadband download speed for all properties will be achieved by 2016.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Plans have been set out by the Government to ensure that every home and business can have access to fast broadband by the end of this Parliament. We will launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadband Universal Service Obligation by 2020.

Broadband: Urban Areas

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what total amount of funding has been allocated to the Superconnected Cities project.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Super Connected Cities Programme had an allocation of up to £150m, to support broadband and digital projects across 22 citiesup to March 2015. The Chancellor extended the connection voucher scheme to 50 cities from April 2015 on a first come first serve basis, with up to £40m of that funding available for this.

Broadband: Northern Ireland

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the funding for Superconnected Cities has been allocated to Northern Ireland.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Belfast and Derry/Londonderry were two of fifty cities benefitting from the Super Connected Cities Programmes, and received up to £15.6m to help develop digital infrastructure and capability, and to remain internationally competitive, attracting investors and businesses.

Broadband: Urban Areas

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will allocate additional funding to the Superconnected Cities fund for those applications in the most recent round that were unsuccessful.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Any decision regarding funding is subject to the forthcoming Spending Review.

Broadband: Urban Areas

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has for funding for voucher offers under the Superconnected Cities fund that were not taken up.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Broadband Connect Voucher Scheme was hugelysuccessful, and has benefitted 55,000 small and medium businesses (SMEs) across the UK. All broadband connections vouchers issued to SMEs before the scheme closed on 12 October that comply with the scheme’s terms and conditions will be funded.

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Prime Minister's announcement of 7 November 2015 on broadband access, whether the Government will consult on the Universal Service Obligation for broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey: As announced by the Prime Minister on 7th November, the Government plans to launch the consultation in early 2016.

O2: Three

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed merger of O2 and Three on the competitive functioning of the mobile telecommunications industry.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The assessment of the impact of mergers on competition is a matter for the independent competition regulators. In the case of the takeover ofTelefónica UK (O2)byCKHutchison Holdings Ltd. (CKHH), which owns Three, the competent authority is the European Commission, due to the international scope of the deal, although the UK Competition and Markets Authority has applied for jurisdiction.Any authority ruling on this merger will take advice from Ofcom, the UK’s independent communications regulator, on competition in the mobile communications sector in the UK.

Digital Technology: Training

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to encourage (a) the training of school children in digital skills before they enter the workforce, (b) graduate schemes on digital skills, (c) improving the digital skills of the workforce of firms in the digital technology industry and (d) other initiatives to promote existing professional training and digital skills initiatives; and whether he plans for such initiatives to be supported by the Apprenticeship Levy.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Introduced in September 2014, the new statutory computing curriculum in primary and secondary schools is providing schoolchildren with the digital skills they will need for further study and employment. It is supported by revised computer science A levels, and revised GCSEs will be introduced from 2016. In September 2015 the Higher Education Funding Council for England invited bids for pilot conversion courses in high demand computer science disciplines. This will supply industry with a new stream of graduates with in-demand digital skills from summer 2017.Additionally, this Government back a free ‘Introduction to Cyber Security’ course raising awareness of cyber security and developing the necessary skills in the sector. This Government is also funding pilots of short courses in key digital skills areas (web design, database management and digital marketing), designed and accredited by business.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Young People

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Disabled People of 27 October 2015, Official Report, column 101WH, what assessment he has made of the reason for the high proportion of young people receiving benefit sanctions.

Priti Patel: The department has not made a specific assessment of this. All claimants are required to meet the same conditionality rules regardless of age.Jobseekers are only asked to meet reasonable requirements taking into account their circumstances and capability. These requirements are clearly explained and agreed by jobseekers with their Work Coach and set out in their individually tailored Claimant Commitment.

Local Housing Allowance

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 7.4 of the Explanatory Memorandum for the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Functions) (Local Housing Allowance Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I., 2015, No. 1753), how the Government plans to define higher rent increases for the purposes of determining eligibility for additional funding under the Targeted Affordability Fund.

Justin Tomlinson: Since 2014/15 the Government has made available £140 million in Targeted Affordability Funding (TAF). Over the next five years TAF will be drawn from recycling a percentage of the savings from the freeze of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates. As a result of the level of savings produced by the freeze next year there will be no TAF available in 2016/17; however, there will be funding from 2017/18 to 2020/21.From 2017/18 around 30 per cent of the potential savings per year from the freeze to LHA will be used to support areas where higher rent increases are causing a shortage of affordable accommodation.The level of TAF in 2016/17 would have been the same if, as planned, LHA rates had been uprated by CPI inflation. This is because the CPI forecast in September was zero (0.01 per cent) and therefore LHA rates would not increase in 2016/17 but would remain at the 2015/16 levels.The amounts of TAF which will be available each year from 2017/18 and the plans to distribute it will be announced in due course.

Local Housing Allowance

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Functions) (Local Housing Allowance Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I., 2015, No. 1753), what total amount will be made available to local authorities under the Targeted Affordability Fund before the date on which those regulations are due to come into force.

Justin Tomlinson: Over the next five years Targeted Affordability Funding (TAF) will be drawn from recycling a percentage of the savings from the freeze of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates. As a result of the level of savings produced by the freeze next year there will be no TAF available in 2016/17; however, there will be funding from 2017/18 to 2020/21.From 2017/18 around 30 per cent of the potential savings per year from the freeze to LHA will be used to support areas where higher rent increases are causing a shortage of affordable accommodation.The level of TAF in 2016/17 would have been the same if, as planned, LHA rates had been uprated by CPI inflation. This is because the CPI forecast in September was zero (0.01 per cent) and therefore LHA rates would not increase in 2016/17 but would remain at the 2015/16 levels.The amounts of TAF which will be available each year from 2017/18 and the plans to distribute it will be announced in due course.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average amount foregone by women who will wait longer to receive their state pension was as a result of changes brought about by the Pension Act 2011.

Justin Tomlinson: Information on the average amount foregone by women who will wait longer to receive their state pension as a result of changes brought about by the Pensions Act 2011 is not available.The impact on total lifetime pension income depends on income level, and whether an individual works up to their new State Pension age. The Pensions Act 2011 Impact Assessment presents modelled impacts using hypothetical examples of single individual male and female high, median and low earners. This analysis focuses on illustrating the impact on income in retirement. It therefore does not take account of gains in working-life income through earnings (or working-age benefits) received in the period up to the new State Pension age that will either wholly or partially replace the income a person would have received from their private and / or State Pensions.The Pensions Act 2011 Impact Assessment, published in November 2011, is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181462/pensions-bill-2011-ia-annexa.pdf

Housing: Government Assistance

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average weekly payment was of (a) support for mortgage interest and (b) housing benefit in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12, (iv) 2012-13, (v) 2013-14 and (vi) 2014-15.

Justin Tomlinson: The following table outlines the estimated average weekly award for support for mortgage interest claimants over the period:2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15SMI£45.90£41.10£32.10£33.70£33.80£34.00These estimates are derived from the DWP summer budget 2015 benefit expenditure and caseload tables, and are in nominal terms. The data from which these estimates are derived can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015Information on average housing benefit awards is published online, and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/housing-benefit-caseload-statistics

Department for Work and Pensions: Families

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of his Department's policies have been assessed against the family test; what steps he has taken to publish the outcome of such assessments; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel: The Family Test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policy in line with the Family Test guidance. While the guidance states that departments should consider publishing assessments carried out under the Test, there is no requirement to do so.

Department for Work and Pensions: Families

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on the implementation of the family test throughout the Government.

Priti Patel: Officials from different Government Departments have had discussions with a view to aid the implementation of The Family Test across Government. Activity resulting from these discussions has included holding a series of seminars with key stakeholders and officials to raise awareness of the issues to consider when applying the Test and developing and disseminating relevant evidence, learning materials and best practice.

Funerals: Government Assistance

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial assistance is available for parents who have lost children to pay for funeral costs.

Justin Tomlinson: The Social Fund Funeral Expenses scheme provides help towards the cost of a funeral for people on qualifying benefits. Awards cover the full necessary costs involved with either burial or cremation and up to £700 for other funeral expenses. Social Fund Budgeting Loans are also available to help those on income related benefits to cover the costs relating to funeral expenses.

Department for Work and Pensions: Families

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to implement the family test.

Priti Patel: DWP published guidance for Departments and officials on how the Test should be applied when formulating policy and my Department follows that guidance- Family Test Guidance.In addition, as the lead Department for the Family Test, DWP has conducted cross government activity to support Departments in implementing the Test. This has included training officials on applying the Test and disseminating relevant evidence, learning materials and best practice.

Local Housing Allowance

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 7.4 of the Explanatory Memorandum for the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Functions) (Local Housing Allowance Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I., 2015, No. 1753), when he plans for the first instalments of additional funding under the Targeted Affordability Fund to be made available to local authorities.

Justin Tomlinson: Since 2014/15 the Government has made available £140 million in Targeted Affordability Funding (TAF). Over the next five years TAF will be drawn from recycling a percentage of the savings from the freeze of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates. As a result of the level of savings produced by the freeze next year there will be no TAF available in 2016/17; however, there will be funding from 2017/18 to 2020/21.From 2017/18 around 30 per cent of the potential savings per year from the freeze to LHA will be used to support areas where higher rent increases are causing a shortage of affordable accommodation.The level of TAF in 2016/17 would have been the same if, as planned, LHA rates had been uprated by CPI inflation. This is because the CPI forecast in September was zero (0.01 per cent) and therefore LHA rates would not increase in 2016/17 but would remain at the 2015/16 levels.The amounts of TAF which will be available each year from 2017/18 and the plans to distribute it will be announced in due course.

Department for Work and Pensions: Procurement

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what programmes being taken forward by his Department are subject to Project Assessment Reviews instead of Gateway Reviews.

Justin Tomlinson: DWP Projects on the Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP) follow the procedures outlined in the ‘HM Treasury and Cabinet Office, Major Project Approval and Assurance guidance’ introduced from April 2011. All DWP GMPP projects can therefore potentially have both Project Assessment Reviews and Gateway Reviews during their delivery lifecycle.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance has been issued to Jobcentre Plus staff on the application of benefit sanctions where a parent is unable to comply with the conditions for that benefit because of lack of suitable childcare.

Priti Patel: This Government spent £5bn on childcare in 2014-2015 – more than any previous administration and an increase of £1bn since 2010. We are now going further still, with a new package of support designed to improve the affordability and accessibility of childcare for working families. We are extending the free entitlement for 3 and 4 years from 15 hours to 30 hours per week for working parents, from September 2017, worth £5,000 per child per year. We are also introducing Tax-Free Childcare for working parents from early 2017, with a Government contribution of up to £2,000 per child.Guidance for Jobcentre Plus staff makes it clear that the Jobseeker’s Allowance requirements should be tailored to the individual circumstances of each claimant and may be varied if those circumstances change.

Unemployed People: Travel

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on jobseekers of the requirement to search and apply for jobs within a 90-minute travel radius.

Priti Patel: Before requiring a JSA claimant to apply for a job within a 90 minute travel radius, a Work Coach will always take a claimant’s personal circumstances into account, including local travel arrangements and only require a claimant to apply for a job within a 90 minute radius if it is reasonable to do so. No recent assessment has been made of the effect on jobseekers of the requirement to search and apply for jobs within a 90 minute travel radius.

Children: Day Care

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) what the total value of payments is and (b) how many payments have been made from the Flexible Support Fund to assist with childcare costs in (i) each region and (ii) each constituency in each of the last two years.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Welfare Tax Credits: EU Nationals

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answers of the 24 June 2015 to Questions 4118 and 4121 and the statement of the Minister for Europe of 10 November 2015, Official Report, column 239, in which he stated that 'roughly like 40 per cent of the people from elsewhere in the EU who live in the UK are in receipt of benefits or tax credits of some sort,' how this figure was calculated; how many EU citizens have been in the UK for less than four years; and of those people how many have made individual claims for tax credits.

Priti Patel: Details on how the proportion of EEA nationals who were in receipt of benefits or tax credits was calculated is detailed in the DWP ad hoc statistical publication “UK benefit and tax credit claims by recently arrived EEA migrants”. This can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-benefit-and-tax-credit-claims-by-recently-arrived-eea-migrantsIt was not possible to provide a more detailed breakdown within this ad hoc statistical publication on the claims made by individuals for different benefits or tax credits.

Ministry of Defence

Defence: Expenditure

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much Department for International Development expenditure his Department reported to NATO as defence spending in each year from 2006 to 2014.

Michael Fallon: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the armed forces compensation scheme tariffs were last reviewed; and if he will make a statement.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what account he has made of the adequacy of tariffs in the armed forces compensation scheme for former service personnel with an employment-related mental illness.

Mark Lancaster: In 2009 Lord Boyce was asked to review the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), including its associated tariffs, to ensure that the Scheme was fit for purpose. Lord Boyce made his recommendations in February 2010, and as a result the Ministry of Defence tripled the maximum lump sum award for mental illness from £48,875 to £140,000 in order to accurately reflect the impact of the most serious mental health conditions. While Lord Boyce was clear in his report that a further fundamental review of the AFCS should not be required, we recognise that it is appropriate to review our policies and associated tariffs on a regular basis.In addition to the AFCS lump sum, the most seriously injured receive a tax-free Guaranteed Income Payment for life. This is uplifted annually by the Consumer Price Index.An Independent Medical Expert Group (IMEG) was also established in 2010 to advise on appropriate levels of compensation for several specific injuries and illnesses, including mental health. The IMEG has looked at how best to compensate for mental health problems and they keep this under review.

European Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current status is of the purchase Tranche 3 b Typhoon aircraft; and how many such aircraft his Department plans to purchase.

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his plans are for the Tranche 3 a Typhoon aircraft; and how many such aircraft are in storage.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Reserves (Mr Brazier) on 26 March 2015 to Questions 225369, 225370 and 225371 to the hon. Member for Moray (Mr Robertson) and confirm that there continues to be no Typhoon Tranche 3 aircraft in storage. There are currently a total of 92 Typhoon aircraft in the Forward Fleet and 39 aircraft in the Sustainment Fleet.Deliveries of the 40 Tranche 3A aircraft ordered for the RAF are continuing. A decision was taken in July 2014 by the Eurofighter Typhoon Partner Nations not to proceed with a follow-on order of Tranche 3B aircraft.



QnA extract on Miltary Aircraft
(Word Document, 15.79 KB)

Islamic State

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2015 to Question 15658, what the total cost of military operations against ISIS has been in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on the 6 November 2015 to Question 14576.http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=14576



Iraq Military Intervention
(Word Document, 15.4 KB)

Home Office

Deportation: Appeals

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11080, on deportation: appeals, in how many of the 426 cases referred to was certification withdrawn.

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11080, on deportation: appeals, how many of the 426 cases referred to are pending to be heard before the Upper Tribunal.

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11080, on deportation: appeals in, how many of the 426 cases which were appealed were the appeals later discontinued by the appellant.

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11080, on deportation: appeals, in how many of the 426 cases which were appealed were those appeals dismissed by the relevant tribunal.

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11080, on deportation: appeals, to which countries the 1,780 foreign national offenders referred to have been deported.

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11080, on deportation: appeals, how many of the 426 appeals referred to have been certified under Regulation 24AA.

James Brokenshire: Of the 426 cases referred to in answer of 14 October to Question 11080:- none were certification withdrawn- 359 have been certified under Regulation 24AA- all data provided relates to the First Tier Tribunal only- 25 are listed as abandoned or withdrawn by the appellant- 89 were dismissed by the relevant tribunalThe Home Office does not disclose country specific information as its disclosure could prejudice relations between the UK and foreign governments.Notes : (1) All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.(2) Data Extracted on 28th September, 2015 in line with response to Question 11080

Refugees: Syria

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to accept into the UK refugee children from Syria who are travelling unaccompanied within Europe.

James Brokenshire: We have been consistently clear that the relocation of asylum seekers between Member States is the wrong thing to do. It will act as a ‘pull factor’ and does not address the underlying issues.We are not persuaded of the need to make an exception for children as they are on the territory of Member States who have duties to protect and support them.The UK is committed to supporting the most vulnerable in the region through our humani-tarian response to the crisis as well as our commitment to resettle 20,000 Syrians in need of protection, including children, through our Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme.

Immigration

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have entered the UK as a result of successful family reunion applications in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: The available relevant data are provided below for the number of individuals granted entry clearance visas to the UK for family reunion back to 2005. However, the grant of a visa does not necessarily mean that a person has actually entered the UK.Entry clearance visas granted for family reunionYearGranted20057,73120065,27720074,49720083,63220094,20920104,88720114,30620123,67120134,12620144,541Source: Immigration Statistics April-June 2015, Home Office, tables vi_01_q, and corresponding datasets.The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in ‘Immigration Statistics, April-June 2015’, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics

British Nationality

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people had British citizenship revoked in each year from 1997-98 to 2014-15.

James Brokenshire: Section 40 of the British Nationality Act 1981 allows the Secretary of State to make an order to deprive a person of their British citizenship where it is conducive to the public good to do so, or where a naturalised British citizen has used fraud, false representation or concealment of material fact to obtain British citizenship.Between 1997 and 2006 no person was deprived of British citizenship by the Secretary of State. The number of people who have been deprived of citizenship under section 40 of the British Nationality Act 1981 since 2006 is set out in the table below:YearNumber of Deprivation Orders Made200612007120080200922010520116201262013182014192015 Jan - Oct16This information has been provided from local management information and is not a national statistic. As such it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.

Asylum: EU Law

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the UK has been asked to use the discretionary powers in Article 17 of the Dublin Regulation EC No 604/2013 since that regulation came into force; and how many of those requests resulted in the UK taking charge of an applicant under that Article.

James Brokenshire: We can confirm that the Home Office received 29 requests under Article 17.1 and 17.2 of the Dublin III Regulations, of those requests 14 were accepted. These figures are based on requests received between January 2014 to November 2015.

Immigrants: EEA Nationals

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many nationals aged (a) between 15 and 64 and (b) over 65 from each EEA country were granted permanent residence in each year from 1997-98 to 2014-15.

James Brokenshire: Under the EU law, EEA nationals (and their family members) have an initial right to reside in the UK for three months without conditions. To have a right to reside in the country longer than this the EEA national must be exercising a Treaty Right, described in the Immigration (EEA) Regulations 2006 as being a qualified person. To be considered a quali-fied person, they must be a jobseeker, worker, self-employed person, self-sufficient or a student. After living in the UK for a continuous period of five years in accordance with the conditions set out in the EEA Regulations, an EEA national and any family member will acquire the right of permanent residence in the UK and apply for documentation confirming this right.The total numbers of documents certifying permanent residence by country of nationality are published in table ee_02 ‘Immigration Statistics, April-June 2015’ table ee_02 for 2004 to 2014, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics . Corresponding data for 2015 will be published on 26 May 2016. A breakdown by age grouping is not published.The issuing of permanent residence documents to EEA nationals commenced in April 2006 and therefore there are no statistics relating to EEA nationals available prior to that date.

Asylum: EU Law

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of individuals currently living in (a) camps in Calais and (b) hotspots in Greece and Italy who may be eligible to have their asylum case determined in the UK under articles within the Dublin III Regulation.

James Brokenshire: Member States are responsible for dealing with asylum seekers who are on their territory, including the assessment of whether or not another Member State is responsible for examining an asylum application under the Dublin Regulation.We consider requests from other States, including France, Italy or Greece, to take responsibility for asylum applicants in their territory, on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the terms of Regulation.The Joint Ministerial Declaration on UK-French cooperation confirms the wishes of both Governments to improve the operation of the Dublin Regulation: a contact group has been established to ensure that that the provisions of the Dublin Regulation are used efficiently and effectively between both countries.

Offences against Children: Prosecutions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of child abuse that have been reported to police (a) did and (b) did not lead to a prosecution in the last five years.

Mike Penning: The Home Office collects recorded crime information from the police, but it is not possible to tell the age of victim for all the offences that could constitute child abuse for all police forces. Therefore, the requested data cannot be provided.For some offence categories, the offence states the age of the victim or it is clear that the victim is a child (for example, rape of a female child under 16; cruelty to children/young persons). Figures for these offences for the last five year are given in the Table.The Home Office does not hold information on prosecutions; these figures are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

ICT: Migrant Workers

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-EU workers hold visas to work on IT projects in the UK.

James Brokenshire: Acquiring this information would involve examining each individual case record held by UKVI for the category. To do so would incur a disproportionate cost.

Immigration Controls: Calais

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people attempting to enter the UK without valid papers were detained at UK border controls at Calais and returned to the French authorities in the last 12-month period for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 16 November 2015



Border Force operates UK immigration controls at the juxtaposed ports in northern France and also operates a multi-layered freight search regime to detect clandestine illegal entry attempts.The figures for passenger refusals at the juxtaposed controls in northern France are 3,695 in FY 2014/15.Additionally 39,545 attempts at clandestine illegal entry were successfully intercepted by the UK and French authorities at the juxtaposed controls in northern France in FY 2014/15.

Overseas Students: English Language

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Tier 4 visas have been issued to students entering the UK to study English as a foreign language as their principal area of study in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Acquiring this information would involve examining each individual case record held by UKVI for the category. To do so would incur a disproportionate cost.

Human Trafficking: Criminal Investigation

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many investigations have been commenced by the National Crime Agency into human trafficking, in each of the last three years.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 18 November 2015



The National Crime Agency was established on 7 October 2013 and, at that time there were eight human trafficking investigations under way.Between 7 October 2013 and 6 October 2014 the NCA commenced a further eight NCA human trafficking investigations.Between 7 October 2014 and 7 Oct 2015 the NCA commenced a further 11 human trafficking investigation. In addition, over the same period, the NCA has provided specialist support to over 60 investigations led by other law enforcement agencies involving human trafficking.

Video Games: Skilled Workers

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of proposed changes to Tier 2 visas on the recruitment of people with specific skills from overseas to the video games industry.

James Brokenshire: The Government has commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on restricting Tier 2 to genuine skills shortages and jobs which require highly-specialised experts, but with sufficient flexibility to include high value roles and key public service workers. There are 18 jobs in the video games industry currently included on the Shortage Occupation List.The MAC is looking at selection criteria such as, but not limited to, salaries, particular attributes, economic need and skills level. The MAC is not due to report until December and we do not yet know what its findings and recommendations will be. We await the report with interest and will consider it carefully before making any significant changes to the Tier 2 route.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Families

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department is taking to implement the family test.

David Mundell: The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014. It is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in the development of all new policy. DWP published guidance for Departments and officials on how the test should be applied when formulating policy and my Department follows that guidance.

Scotland Office: Families

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many of his Department's policies have been assessed against the family test; what steps he has taken to publish the outcome of such assessments; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014. It is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in the development of all new policy.DWP published guidance for Departments and officials on how the test should be applied when formulating policy and my Department follows that guidance. While the guidance states that departments should consider publishing assessments carried out under the Test, there is no requirement to do so.

Scotland Bill: Lords Amendments

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether the Government plans to table amendments to the Scotland Bill in the House of Lords.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

HM Treasury

Treasury: Families

Caroline Ansell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to implement the family test; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: As announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014, the objective of the Family Test is to introduce an explicit family perspective to the policy making process, and ensure that potential impacts on family relationships and functioning are recognised in the process of developing new policy.The Treasury carefully considers all relevant obligations – statutory or otherwise - including the family test - when formulating relevant policies. Guidance is available to Treasury staff and advice to Ministers reflects this.

Devolution: Finance

Drew Hendry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the spending reductions agreed between his Department and the Department for Transport will affect Barnett consequentials.

Greg Hands: The Barnett Formula will be applied to the Department of Transport’s Spending Review settlement in the usual way. This will be reflected in the Devolved Administration's allocations when the outcome of the Spending Review is published on 25 November.

Living Wage: Young People

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the increased tax revenue from extending the National Living Wage to those aged 18 to 25.

Damian Hinds: Younger workers tend to have less experience than older workers in the labour market, and so there is a risk that too high a wage rate may make them relatively less attractive to employers. So, to minimise any negative impact on employment of younger workers, the National Living Wage is limited to those 25 and over. The Government has not therefore made an estimate of what the fiscal impact of this policy change would be.The Office for Budgetary Responsibility estimate that, by 2020-21, the National Living Wage will increase income tax and NICs receipts by around £0.1bn, as set out in Table B.3 in of their July 2015 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. They assume that, by 2020-21, the overall impact of the policy on the public finances is to reduce public sector net borrowing by £0.2bn.

Money Laundering

Diana Johnson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) investigations and (b) enforcement actions into money laundering offences have been commenced by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Financial Services Authority in each of the last five years.

Harriett Baldwin: This is an operational matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who are operationally independent from Government. The question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Productivity

Richard Burgon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that an approach supply of finance to productive investment is available to help increase productivity.

Greg Hands: The government is committed to boosting productivity growth and narrowing the gap with other leading advanced economies. In July 2015 the government published ‘Fixing the Foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation’; a comprehensive plan that sets the agenda to reverse the UK’s long-term productivity problem.The financial services sector has a dual role in supporting UK productivity. As well as its own productivity performance, it is critical for supporting the rest of the economy, allocating resources and facilitating long term productive investment. In the latest remit letter to the Financial Policy Committee of the Bank of England, the Chancellor highlighted the importance of a stable financial system providing finance for productive investment.To promote the provision of finance to support productive investment, it is important that it can be measured accurately. The Bank of England, working with HM Treasury, have initiated research to create a better measurement of ‘finance for productive investment’ covering all asset classes and all stages of finance, with a view to publishing the data on a regular basis.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many responses she has received to the recent consultation on proposed cuts to the feed-in tariff; how long she plans for her Department to spend on evaluating those responses; and when she plans to make public the Government's proposed next steps on this matter.

Andrea Leadsom: The Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) scheme review consultation closed on 23 October and we are currently evaluating the responses received. We have received nearly 55,000 responses to the consultation and we currently estimate that just over 2,600 are unique and detailed responses; the rest are briefer and more uniform responses, generated by campaigns.We expect to publish a Government response in due course.

Solar Power

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much of the projected increase in spend under the Levy Control Framework for 2020-21 is directly attributable to solar energy.

Andrea Leadsom: The projected overspend in 2020/21 is not attributable to an individual technology but rather a collection of factors, for example changes in wholesale prices, accelerated developments in technological efficiency and higher than expected uptake of demand led schemes

Electricity Interconnectors: Republic of Ireland

Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of UK withdrawal from the EU on the importation of electricity from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 18 November 2015



We are hoping to reform our relationship with the EU. The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation.

Housing: Energy

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the average time taken is for customers to switch their domestic energy supplier.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 18 November 2015



Ofgem published data on average switching time for domestic customers in Great Britain. It is available online at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/chart/average-switching-time-domestic-customers-gbOn 1 June 2015 (latest published data available) the average switching time for domestic electricity supplies was 15.7 days and 15.5 days for gas.

Housing: Energy

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to improve the energy efficiency of homes; and whether any of the National Infrastructure Committee's funding will be available for use to increase home energy efficiency.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Private Rented Housing: Energy

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions she has had with her European counterparts about minimum EPC standards for the private rented sector.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Private Rented Housing: Energy

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities about minimum EPC standards for the private rented sector.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Private Rented Housing: Energy

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions she has had with the cavity wall insulation industry about minimum EPC standards in the private rented sector.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy: Prices

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what representations she has made to energy companies to ensure they pass on reductions in the wholesale price of gas and electricity to the consumer.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on a cross-departmental approach to moving to low carbon energy sources.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Climate Change Convention: Paris

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the prospects of a long-term global carbon reduction goal being agreed at the Paris Climate Conference in December 2015.

Amber Rudd: My Hon. Friend, the UK Government firmly supports the need for a long term global carbon reduction goal in the Paris Agreement.It would send an important signal to business and investors on the global direction of travel.We have been pleased with the progress made at a political level, including through the G7 and our recent joint statement with South African in October and that by the US and China in September.We will continue to press for its inclusion in the Paris deal.

Energy: Meters

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to ensure that smart meters provide the maximum possible benefits for consumers.

Andrea Leadsom: Smart meters will bring and end to estimated bills, make switching faster, and give bill payers more control ovr their energy use. It is vital that all consumers in Britain can benefit, so we're requiring energy suppliers to offer a smart meter to every home and small business by the end of 2020.Good progress is being made - over 1.7 million meters are already operating under the Programme.

Cabinet Office

Health Services: Trade Union Officials

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what account was taken of the results of the 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Survey on workplace union representatives in the healthcare sector in bringing forward proposals to cap union facility time in the Trade Union Bill.

Matthew Hancock: There are no current proposals to cap facility time. The reserve powers in the Trade Union Bill, which allow Ministers to set a cap on the time and money spent on facility time, would be used only as a last resort.

Cabinet Office: Welsh Language

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department introduced the Welsh Language Scheme; when that scheme was last updated; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of that scheme.

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has to ensure that GOV.UK is accessible by Welsh speakers in the Welsh language.

Matthew Hancock: The Government is enthusiastically committed to the Welsh language and to providing Government services in the Welsh language where there is demand for them.The Cabinet Office is improving the quality of service for Welsh speakers through user research, conducted jointly by the Wales Office and the Government Digital Service (GDS), as well as feedback from subject matter experts in governmental Welsh Language Units.GDS has liaised with government departments on a user needs-based review of current Welsh-language content on GOV.UK. The content in Welsh will be more prominently promoted from the equivalent English-language pages.

Corruption

Byron Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2015 to Question 2354, when the review of the enforcement response to bribery and corruption will be published.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The UK Anti-Corruption Plan, published in December, announced that Cabinet Office would take forward a review of the enforcement response to bribery and corruption. The review has now concluded and its findings are being considered by Ministers.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Subsidies

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will place in the Library the report on the suspension of the digital service for the Basic Payment Scheme for farmers which was commissioned by her Department and the Rural Payments Agency in March 2015.

George Eustice: The digital service for the Basic Payment Scheme has not been suspended. Over 80,000 farmers and agents have registered on the Rural Payments system, and farmers cannot be paid without registering on the new system.Defra and the Rural Payments Agency have received a number of reports from the Major Projects Authority about progress with the Rural Payments IT System. Such reports are not made public in order to protect the effectiveness of the reviews which the Major Project Authority undertakes.

Heathrow Airport: Air Pollution

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the owners of Heathrow Airport on ensuring that that airport meets UK and EU air quality standards; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Defra’s Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with Heathrow Airport.Defra officials met with representatives from Heathrow Airport and the neighbouring Local Authorities to discuss the Heathrow Air Quality Action Plan as it was being developed. Since the Plan has been implemented regular meetings have taken place to understand the impacts of actions on local air quality.Defra officials have also been in contact with Heathrow regarding the preparation of the Draft Air Quality Plan which sets out actions required to meet the EU limit values for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the Greater London Urban Area.

Lead: Ammunition

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of partial restrictions on the use of lead ammunition for reducing the incidence of lead poisoning; and what comparative assessment she has made of the effectiveness of that policy and those in place in other jurisdictions.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence her Department has received on the potential effect on the sport of shooting that would result from the phase out of the use of lead ammunition for sport shooting in England.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the animal welfare benefits of the proper use of non-toxic alternatives to lead ammunition for sports shooting; and what comparative assessment she has made of the policies adopted in other countries and their effect on animal welfare.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence her Department has received on the welfare effect of lead ammunition in sports shooting and hunting.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on the use of lead ammunition on land owned by the Government.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence her Department has recently received about wildlife mortality caused by lead poisoning resulting from the use of lead ammunition in sports shooting.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of levels of compliance with the Environmental Protection (Restriction of the Use of Lead Shot) (England) Regulations 1999 (as amended).

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the level of deposition of lead gunshot in wetland and terrestrial habitats.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what study her Department has made of the experience of other countries in reducing lead poisoning through regulation of the use of lead ammunition and the use of non-toxic alternatives.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to respond to the final report of the Lead Ammunition Group.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she received the final report of the Lead Ammunition Group; and what discussions she has had with the Chair and other members of that Group since that date.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the relative costs and effectiveness of alternatives to lead ammunition for sports shooting.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Resolution 11.15 adopted by the Eleventh Conference if the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals in November 2014, what assessment she has made of the extent and type of poisoning risk from lead ammunition in the UK.

Rory Stewart: The Government is considering the independent Lead Ammunition Group’s report on the effect of lead shot on human and wildlife health and will respond as soon as possible.The Food Standards Agency has produced advice on the consumption of lead shot game which can be accessed at https://www.food.gov.uk/science/advice-to-frequent-eaters-of-game-shot-with-lead.

Water Charges

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average household bill for water was in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) the UK in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2015.

Rory Stewart: The average water and sewerage bill in the St Helens North constituency and Merseyside was £359 in 2010 and £411 in 2015. Both of these areas are served by United Utilities. The average water and sewerage bill in England and Wales was £339 in 2010 and £385 in 2015.

UK Membership of EU

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister's letter of 10 November 2015 to the President of the European Council, whether the Government has conducted (a) an environmental impact assessment, (b) a sustainability assessment and (c) a carbon emissions assessment of his proposals for a new settlement for the UK in a reformed EU.

George Eustice: The Prime Minister has written to the President of the European Council setting out the areas where he is seeking reforms to address the concerns of the British people over our membership of the EU. As the Prime Minister said in his letter, reform in these areas would address the UK's concerns and provide a fresh and lasting settlement for our membership of the European Union.

Pets: Sales

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to review the Pet Animals Act 1951.

George Eustice: Defra is reviewing the Pet Animals Act 1951 as part of a wider review of some of the animal related licensing schemes. We are looking to consult on a set of proposals shortly.

National Wildlife Crime Unit

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to renew its funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit after March 2016.

Rory Stewart: The Government has committed to providing funding to help secure the National Wildlife Crime Unit until at least the end of March next year. Decisions on funding beyond March will be made as part of the current Spending Review process.

Welfare Tax Credits: Farmers

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of tax credits on farmers.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on this issue. However, the NFU has written directly to the Chancellor about tax payments and the National Living Wage. Ministers and Defra officials meet regularly with representatives of the farming industry to discuss a range of issues affecting farm businesses.

Waste Management

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on meeting the recovery target for construction and demolition waste in the Waste Framework Directive, 2008/98/EC; and what further steps she is taking to meet that target.

Rory Stewart: The UK’s recovery rate for construction and demolition waste reached 86% in 2012, exceeding the 70% target for 2020 set out in the Waste Framework Directive. We will continue to monitor progress and take action as required to ensure the UK meets that target.

Animals: Exports

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of animals exported to (a) EU member states and (b) countries outside the EU in the last year.

George Eustice: Figures for the last calendar year are provided below. The estimate for EU countries is based on figures obtained from HM Revenue and Customs which draw on information provided by VAT-registered firms. Actual trade levels may be higher.Exports to European Member StatesBreeding cattle4Sheep161Poultry10, 354Horses, asses and mules1Other animals5Total10,525Exports to countries outside the EUPoultry4,252Horses, asses and mules1Other animals2Total4,255

Dangerous Dogs

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dog attacks have been recorded in the last two years.

George Eustice: Dog attacks are not recorded centrally. However, the attached table provides numbers of successful prosecutions against people who have allowed a dog to be dangerously out of control for each of the last two years for which figures are available.Defendants found guilty of offences under section 3 of Dangerous Dogs Act 1991(1)(2)20132014Section 3 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991715880 (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Dangerous Dogs

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions there have been for owning a dog banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each of the last two years.

George Eustice: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts for possession, without exemption, of a prohibited dog, in England and Wales from 2013 to 2014 (latest available), can be viewed in the table below.Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for possession, without exemption, of a prohibited dog (1), England and Wales, 2013 to 2014 (2)(3)20132014232216(1) An offence under Section 1(3) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991  (2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.Ref: PQC 599-15 to PQ 16503

Department of Health

Ambulance Services: Greater Manchester

Mr David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the level of complaints against Arriva Transport Solutions over its level of service while running Greater Manchester's non-emergency ambulance service; and what steps he is taking to ensure a better service in Greater Manchester in future.

Jane Ellison: The provision of local health services, including patient transport services, is a matter for the NHS locally. NHS Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group is the lead commissioner for non-emergency patient transport services in the North West.

Naloxone

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Public Health England advice entitled Take-home naloxone for opioid overdose in people who use drugs, what steps he is taking to encourage local commissioners to adopt a programme of issuing MHRA-licenced take home Naloxone (a) in general and (b) to opioid-dependent prisoners upon their release; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Local authorities are responsible for assessing local need and commissioning substance misuse services, using the public health grant, to meet that need. Public Health England (PHE) supports local authorities in this work and as part of that function has provided advice on naloxone provision to commissioners for their local joint strategic needs assessments.The commissioning of substance misuse treatment for prisoners is the responsibility of health and justice commissioning teams in ten of NHS England’s area teams, supported by a central health and justice team. The Government expects commissioners and providers of substance misuse services in prisons and in the community to work together closely in respect of prisoners being released from custody to ensure seamless transfers of care.In addition to the advice disseminated by PHE in “Take-home naloxone for opioid overdose in people who use drugs”, the chair of the working group updating “Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management”, published an open letter in July with advice for commissioners and clinicians on naloxone.

Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that cancer communities are targeted towards all age groups and people with learning disabilities.

Jane Ellison: We understand the hon. Member is referring to cancer communications.Public Health England (PHE) runs a number of Be Clear on Cancer (BCoC) campaigns to encourage symptom recognition and earlier general practitioner (GP) presentation. The campaigns have been running since early 2011 and have covered a number of cancers nationally and regionally. Incidence increases with age for most cancers and BCoC targets men and women over 50, especially those from lower socioeconomic groups, as there is evidence that these individuals are more likely to delay seeing their GP. Although BCoC campaigns target people over 50, they do reach a much wider age group because of national media campaign activity.Specialist organisations are consulted on campaign development to ensure that communications are accessible and inclusive. These have included Mencap, the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, and EasyHealth, specifically targeting people with learning disabilities and using their networks to share information effectively. In addition, campaign materials are produced in alternative formats, including easy read. Disability and carer organisations are sent tailored briefing sheets and toolkits to ensure their members are aware of campaign messages and the availability of alternative formats. Following each campaign, PHE seeks feedback from the disability and carer organisations it has worked with to evaluate the success of the engagement and ensure improvements are made where possible.Locally, there are also a number of good examples where the National Health Service is tailoring its communications to ensure they are accessible to all groups, including those with learning disabilities. NHS England is exploring how these can be taken forward and built on at a national level. For example, easy read versions of cancer screening leaflets are available for people with learning disabilities.

Cancer: Screening

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he next plans to review the effectiveness of cancer screening for women.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking the encourage employers to enable staff to take time off work to attend cancer screening appointments.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase the number of educational programmes on cancer screening.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that young women attend screening for cervical cancer.

Jane Ellison: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy. The UK NSC reviews its recommendations on a three year basis or earlier if any new peer reviewed evidence emerges.The UK NSC is currently reviewing the evidence on whether human papillomavirus testing as primary screening for cervical disease should replace the currently used cytology test and whether faecal immunochemical testing could be used as the primary screening marker in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme. Public consultations on both reviews have just closed and the UK NSC is expected to make a recommendation to ministers later this month.The NHS Breast Screening Programme is currently carrying out a long-term trial to investigate extending current screening eligibility to women aged 47-49 and 71-73. Over two million women have taken part in a randomised control trial, with the impact on breast cancer mortality rates due to be reported in the early 2020s. The UK NSC will consider the research evidence when it is published.We are not aware of steps being taken by employers to enable staff to take time off work to attend cancer screening appointments. However, Macmillan has produced, “Your rights at work” an information leaflet on reasonable adjustments in the workplace for people who have or have had cancer.In 2011, the UK NSC recommended that bowel scope screening could be offered in addition to the homes testing kit as part of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme. Currently 76% of bowel scope screening centres in England are operational, and the Secretary of State’s commitment is to have this programme rolled out to all screening centres in England by the end of 2016. Health Education England has commissioned a training pilot for non-medical endoscopists (NMEs) to provide accelerated training in certain diagnostics procedures, with the aim of providing additional screening capacity. The pilot will commence in January 2016. A framework has also been developed to help NMEs demonstrate that they have achieved the competency levels required for their role.The NHS Screening Programmes have a dedicated team who oversee education, training and stakeholder information. This involves working closely with Royal Colleges, Professional bodies, stakeholder groups, NHS England, Health Education England and the Public Health England campaigns team. A vast range of educational resources exist which are free to NHS staff and cover all screening programme plus the theory and practice of screening. The team is currently expanding the range of taught courses and e-learning resources to make learning more accessible. Accessible patient information is available to educate users of the service and enable informed choices regarding screening. This is complemented by a comprehensive set of material on NHS Choices regarding all 11 NHS Screening Programmes. Patient information is constantly updated and users are involved in the reviews and evaluation of all materials.To increase rates of cervical screening in young women, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme has commissioned a £1 million study to determine which interventions are effective at increasing screening uptake amongst women who are receiving their first invitation from the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. The study began in November 2011 and reports can be expected in spring 2016.In addition, the Department of Health Behavioural Insight team is developing a trial to investigate the use of behavioural insights to optimise the content of the invitation letter for cervical screening.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to promote awareness in schools of the HPV vaccine.

Jane Ellison: A wide range of information tools are available and used to promote the awareness of human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation in schools. These include leaflets, factsheets and question and answer sheets, vaccination record cards, information on the NHS Choices website, and further detailed clinical guidance to health professionals such as school nurses who are able to advise girls about HPV immunisation and respond to questions and concerns. In addition to nationally available material, local National Health Service staff also take steps to provide information on HPV immunisation in their areas. HPV vaccine uptake rates in England areamong highest in the world, with 86.7% of eligible 12 – 13 year olds receiving the full course of vaccine doses in 2013/14.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on the availability of cancer treatments relating to genetically-edited immune cells.

Jane Ellison: There have been no discussions with the royal colleges on the availability of cancer treatments relating to genetically-edited immune cells.

Dementia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with vascular dementia in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treating that condition in that period.

Jane Ellison: It is not possible to identify a count of people within Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) datasets. Instead we have provided a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs)[1] with a primary diagnosis[2] of vascular dementia[3] for the years 2009-10 to 2013-14[4]. This data only includes admissions to hospital. This is likely to be a small subset of those with the condition as there may be other cases of vascular dementia diagnosed in primary care or outpatient settings.YearFAEs2009-105,6612010-115,5812011-125,2362012-135,1512013-144,505Information on the cost of treating vascular dementia over this period is not available.[1] An FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.[2] The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital.[3] The following ICD10 codes was used to identify vascular dementia:F01 - Vascular dementia[4] HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information.It should be noted that HES include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2012-13 includes activity ending between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013.

Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to promote his Department's strategies to prevent cancer.

Jane Ellison: One of the independent Cancer Taskforce report’s six strategic priorities is to “spearhead a radical upgrade in prevention and public health”. NHS England is currently working with partners across the health system to determine how best to take forward the recommendations of the report.As part of putting in place a governance structure for delivery of the strategy, NHS England has appointed Cally Palmer as NHS National Cancer Director. She will lead the implementation of the strategy, as well as new cancer vanguards using outcomes-based commissioning to redesign care and patient experience. Ms Palmer is Chief Executive of the Royal Marsden Hospital.Public Health England (PHE) runs a number of successful campaigns relating to cancer prevention.The tobacco marketing programme runs a range of activity to highlight the health harms of smoking. This includes demonstrating the link between smoking and cancer, as well as encouraging smokers to make quit attempts and signposting them to proven NHS tools and services to help. These programmes have been shown to have a positive impact on reducing adult smoking prevalence.PHE’s flagship social marketing campaign, Change4Life, aims to help families and children in England to eat well, move more, and live longer. Some cancers are highlighted as a health consequence within the campaign messaging. The campaign has enjoyed considerable success and unparalleled levels of engagement. Since its launch in 2009, more than 2.7 million people have signed up to Change4Life and it now has more than 200 national partners. Its tools and resources incentivise and encourage behaviour change.These complement the Be Clear on Cancer campaigns (BCoC) that encourage symptom recognition and earlier general practitioner presentation. BCoC campaigns have been running since early 2011 and have covered a number of cancers nationally and regionally.

Hospitals

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an estimate of the number of additional hospitals that will be required to accommodate the predicted population rise over the next 25 years; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: NHS planning must be centred around the changing health needs of patients and the population. Because of this, the way the NHS delivers health and care in 25 years’ time may look very different from the way health and care is delivered today.The NHS will take advantage of science and technology to deliver healthcare in different ways, in care settings appropriate to people’s needs. This will include hospitals but also new primary and community settings and in people’s homes, where that suits patients and their families. The NHS will of course also need to change the way healthcare is delivered as people live longer lives, with longer term, more complex, multiple health issues. Many of these needs will be best met by supporting people to live healthier as well as longer lives, in their own homes and communities, rather than admitting them to a hospital. The Government has set a priority to transform out-of-hospital care in every community.The NHS Five Year Forward View sets out how the NHS will need to develop to deliver care in new and innovative ways. Different local health communities are being supported as part of the New Care Models Vanguard programme to develop a small number of new care delivery options and models. It is likely that the concept of distinctive health settings, such as within the hospital sector, or within community or primary care, will become less important, as healthcare is delivered in closer partnership with people and coordinated around their needs.Allowing successful innovations to be spread throughout the NHS is integral to the design of the healthcare delivery models the Vanguard programme is developing. This will facilitate the continual development of new NHS services, working in partnership with the people using them.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent from the public purse on reimbursing each non-European Economic Area country with reciprocal healthcare agreements with the UK for health care provided to UK nationals for each financial year from 1997-98 to 2014-15.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the public purse received in reimbursement from each non-EEA country with reciprocal healthcare agreements with the UK for health care provided to their nationals for each year from 1997-98 to 2014-15.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the public purse received in reimbursement from each EEA country for healthcare provided to their citizens for each year from 1997-98 to 2014-15.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent from the public purse on reimbursing each non-European Economic Area country for health care provided to UK nationals for each financial year from 1997-98 to 2014-15.

Alistair Burt: Regarding non-European Economic Area (EEA) countries, including those with reciprocal healthcare agreements with the United Kingdom, we can confirm that no reimbursements are made from the public purse in respect of healthcare provided to UK citizens.For non-EEA countries without a reciprocal agreement in place with the UK, it would be for the individual to pay for any healthcare needed and for that reason appropriate travel and medical insurance is highly advisable. Similarly, for those non-EEA countries with whom the UK does have a reciprocal healthcare agreement, no money changes hands between the parties to the agreement. The basis of these agreements is reciprocity – that is, necessary healthcare is provided in most cases free of charge to the visitor and the associated costs are absorbed by either side.The information requested on the amount received in reimbursement from EEA countries in only available for the country totals of cash payment for 2007-08 to 2014-15. That information is provided in attached table. We do not hold totals for amounts before 2007-08, as the information is hot held centrally.



EEA medical costs- Payments to UK 2007-15
(Excel SpreadSheet, 45.5 KB)

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 1 December 2014 to Question 216015, what criteria his Department sets for eligibility for free NHS prescriptions for households in receipt of universal credit.

Alistair Burt: The Department has introduced two earnings thresholds to determine entitlement to Help with Health Costs, including free NHS prescriptions, for those getting Universal Credit. A higher earnings threshold has been set at £935 net per month for claimants who are responsible for a child or who have limited capability for work, and a lower one at £435 net per month for all other claimants. These thresholds became effective on 1 November 2015, and replace the interim arrangement whereby all Universal Credit claimants were entitled.In setting these earnings thresholds, we have broadly aligned entitlement through Universal Credit with the arrangements for those benefits which currently provide entitlement and which Universal Credit will replace, within the constraints imposed by the different structure of Universal Credit and the need to avoid additional costs to the NHS. The thresholds will make sure that those claimants on the lowest incomes continue to get Help with Health Costs.

Lead: Ammunition

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to inform consumers about the lead content of game meat shot with lead ammunition.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce public exposure to lead in the food chain.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) healthy adults, (b) pregnant women and (c) children who regularly consume game meat shot with lead.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what level of lead consumption his Department has defined as safe; and what evidence his Department has received on the mean level of lead in (a) game meat and (b) game meat shot with lead ammunition.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the safe level of consumption of game killed with lead ammunition for (a) healthy adults, (b) pregnant women and (c) children.

Jane Ellison: Government set up the independent Lead Ammunition Group in 2010 to provide advice on risks to wildlife and human health from lead shot game. The Government is considering the independent Lead Ammunition Group’s report on the effect of lead shot on human and wildlife health and will respond as soon as possible The Food Standards Agency (FSA) accepts the expert advice of the UK Committee on Toxicity and the European Food Safety Authority that it is not possible to set a safe level for exposure to lead from food. However, to better understand the potential risk to UK consumers the FSA produced a risk assessment in 2012 based on its survey data from 2007 of game meat samples; Veterinary Medicines Directorate data from the national surveillance scheme was also considered. The FSA risk assessment considered the potential levels of exposure to lead from lead shot game for adults, children and toddlers based on different levels of game meat consumption.This risk assessment led to FSA issuing targeted advice to frequent consumers of lead shot game in 2012, warning of the potential risks. The advice was promoted as especially important for vulnerable groups such as toddlers and children, pregnant women and women trying for a baby, as exposure to lead can harm the developing brain and nervous system. The FSA risk assessment was published along with this advice. The Government has not estimated the number of people who regularly consume game meat shot with lead.More generally, the FSA, works on behalf of the UK within the European Union to agree harmonised controls to reduce public exposure to lead in the food chain. EU maximum limits apply for lead in a range of foods and these are regularly reviewed by the EU Commission and member states. These maximum limits apply to all food produced in the EU or imported to the EU.

Game

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much game meat has entered the human food chain from licensed hunting activities on land owned by Government Departments or agencies in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison: As part of its regulation of approved meat establishments, the Food Standards Agency collects throughput figures on the number of animals slaughtered or processed at each premises. Game meat processed at approved game handling establishments will come from trained hunters and be supported by an appropriate declaration. There is no requirement to detail on these declarations whether the game is from land owned by Government Departments or Agencies.

Pneumococcal Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce and prevent incidences of pneumococcal pneumonia.

Jane Ellison: A national pneumococcal vaccination programme is in place to protect individuals for whom pneumococcal infection is likely to be more common and/or serious. Vaccination is provided to children as part of the routine childhood immunisation programme; those aged 65 years or over; and those aged between 2 and 64 years of age who are at increased risk of invasive pneumococcal disease.There is an increased risk of getting pneumococcal pneumonia following influenza infection. Therefore people aged 65 years and older and those under 65 years of age in clinical risk groups are offered influenza vaccination each year to lower their risk of flu and also pneumococcal disease.There has been a significant reduction in pneumococcal pneumonia in the United Kingdom, in all ages, this has mainly been the result of the impact of the UK childhood pneumococcal conjugate vaccination programme.

Breast Cancer

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information is recorded by the Cancer Registry on secondary breast cancer.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information is recorded for primary and secondary breast cancer by the Cancer Registry on (a) diagnosis dates, (b) stage at diagnosis, (c) age and (d) gender of person at diagnosis.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) men and (b) women by (i) age and (ii) incident have been diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for collecting cancer data to support national cancer registration in England and recognises the importance of collecting data on recurrent breast cancer; however data on the number of people diagnosed with secondary breast cancer is not currently available. Pilot work undertaken in April 2012 in acute trusts has improved the reporting for breast cancer recurrence and metastasis to the National Cancer Registration Service (NCRS). In order to drive up data completeness for the submissions to the NCRS, monthly reports on data quality and completeness of the Cancer Outcomes and Services Dataset are made available to all acute providers.Since the completion of the pilot project the NCRS in PHE has been working with all acute National Health Service providers in England to improve the reporting of breast cancer recurrence. The collection of this particular item of data remains challenging because relapsed patients may represent in many different ways and through many referral routes.Further work is being scoped by NHS England and PHE based on the recommendation in the recent Independent Cancer Taskforce report to establish robust surveillance systems to collect this data on all cancers.

Electronic Cigarettes: Retail Trade

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what powers local authorities have to restrict the growth of e-cigarette outlets.

Jane Ellison: The Department is not aware of any local authority powers to restrict retailers from selling e-cigarettes. From October, it became an offence in England and Wales to sell e-cigarettes to under-18s and for an adult to purchase an e-cigarette on their behalf. Scotland introduced a Bill in June 2015 which includes similar provisions. Northern Ireland is seeking to bring forward similar legislation within their jurisdiction.

Macular Degeneration

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spends on treating age-related macular degeneration each year.

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the likely annual cost to the NHS of treating age-related macular degeneration by 2050.

Alistair Burt: From the data collected it is not possible to identify how much was spent specifically on treating patients with age-related macular degeneration.No estimate has been made of the annual cost of treating age related macular degeneration by 2050.

Leukaemia: Medical Treatments

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the (a) cost and (b) effectiveness of stem cell transplants and tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapies as treatments for chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Jane Ellison: As the treatments referred to are mutually exclusive, NHS England has no plans to carry out such an assessment. Patients will only be offered a transplant when they are unsuitable for tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment, or if this treatment has failed.Both imatinib (usually considered the first line option) and nilotinib are recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence as cost effective treatments for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Dasatinib, bosutinib and ponatinib are only available for certain patients through the Cancer Drugs Fund.In 2013, NHS England published a policy for the routine commissioning of allogeneic stem cell transplant for CML. This can be found at:www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/01/b04-haematp-stem-cll-transplt.pdfThis policy allows for transplant in patients whose CML is refractory to TKI treatment, or where the patient is TKI intolerant. It takes into account expert advice from the British Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.Based on the clinical pathway of care, no specific assessment of cost or effectiveness comparing blood and marrow transplantation with TKI has been undertaken.

Stem Cells: Medical Treatments

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure improved outcomes for patients who undergo stem cell transplantation in the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The number of patients receiving potentially life-saving stem cell transplants in the United Kingdom continues to increase. The availability of suitably matched donors is a key factor in determining the outcome of stem cell transplantation. The Government has invested £16 million to improve stem cell transplantation services in the UK since 2010 with a further £3 million funding available for the current financial year. This funding has seen more efficient service delivery though the creation of a single unified bone marrow donor registry, more UK patients receiving a stem cell transplant (increasing from 802 in 2010/11 to 1060 in 2013/14) and over 60% of Black, Asian and minority ethnic patients finding a well matched donor compared to only 40% in 2010.Further improvements include NHS Blood and Transplant introducing next generation sequencing technology that is quicker and more accurate in matching donor and patient and delivering improved clinical outcomes. Research is an important part of improving patient outcomes and the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Trials Network supports clinical trials on the development of novel treatment for patients with blood cancer.

Electronic Cigarettes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent research his Department has commissioned or conducted on the health effects of e-cigarettes.

Jane Ellison: The National Institute for Health Research is currently funding a randomised controlled trial to examine the efficacy of e-cigarettes compared with nicotine replacement therapy, when used within the United Kingdom stop smoking service. The report of the trial is expected to be published in 2018.Public Health England commissioned a comprehensive independent review of the latest evidence on e-cigarettes from leading academics. Their report, published on 19 August 2015, included the latest evidence on the safety and health effects of e-cigarettes.

Prostate Cancer: Radiotherapy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the Royal College of Nursing on the treatment of prostate cancer by high doses of radiotherapy on the first 20 days of that treatment.

Jane Ellison: There have been no discussions with the Royal College of Nursing on this matter.

Exercise

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will include physical activity as a top-tier issue of public health when outlining the annual remit of Public Health England for 2016-17.

Jane Ellison: We will determine the priorities for Public Health England (PHE) in 2016/17 in due course, and these will be set out in the remit and strategic priorities letter issued to PHE.

Breast Cancer

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether there are differences in the (a) definition and (b) recording of secondary breast cancer in ICD-10 compared with the Cancer Registry.

Jane Ellison: The National Cancer Registration Services (NCRS) code their data using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 03 in which the data is mapped back to ICD-10 for analysis purposes. ICD-10 does not distinguish between a primary breast tumour or secondary breast tumour. They are coded the same. It is the additional data that the Registry collects across the patient pathway, such as those recurrence data items in the Cancer Outcomes and Services Dataset that allows NCRS to detect whether a tumour is a primary or a secondary.

Breast Cancer: Diagnosis

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the progress of the Breakthrough Generations study towards secondary breast cancer diagnosis.

Jane Ellison: We have made no assessment of the progress of the Breakthrough Generations study towards secondary breast cancer diagnosis.

Perinatal Mortality

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will undertake a review of the causes of stillbirths and neonatal deaths in the UK so as to better understand how maternity practice can be improved.

Ben Gummer: On 13 November 2015, the Government announced an ambitious campaign to halve the national rates of maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths and brain injuries in babies by 2030. To help meet these aims trusts will receive a share of over £4 million of government investment to improve outcomes for women and babies. This includes a £500,000 investment in developing a new system for staff to review and learn from every stillbirth and neonatal death.National surveillance of perinatal mortality, including stillbirth and neonatal deaths, is undertaken through the Government funded Maternal, Newborn and Infant Clinical Outcome Review Programme, which is delivered by MBRRACE-UK (Mothers and Babies - Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK).As part of the programme, MBRRACE-UK publish an annual perinatal mortality surveillance report, which identifies risk factors, causes and trends, and makes recommendations on how stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates can be reduced. A copy of MBRRACE-UK’s latest perinatal mortality surveillance report can be found at the link below:https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/downloads/files/mbrrace-uk/reports/MBRRACE-UK%20Perinatal%20Surveillance%20Report%202013.pdfMBRRACE-UK also undertakes a rolling programme of topic specific confidential enquiries. These include a confidential enquiry into antepartum stillbirth in term normally formed infants, which is due to be published on 19 November 2015, and a confidential enquiry into intrapartum stillbirths and intrapartum related neonatal deaths, which is due to report in 2017.

Influenza: Vaccination

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was allocated to fund influenza vaccinations for clinical staff in the independent and voluntary sector in 2014-15; and how much of that funding was spent on (a) residential, (b) domiciliary and (c) other community care services.

Jane Ellison: Funding is not provided centrally for the vaccination of health and social care workers. Flu vaccination for all health and social care workers, including clinical staff working in the independent and voluntary sector is an occupational health issue and is the responsibility of the employer.

Cancer: Screening

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of information maintained by the NHS to enable his Department to assess the reasons why women choose to have a BRCA1/2 test.

George Freeman: NHS England does hold data on the individual reasons patients may have for seeking referral for a BRCA1/2 test. A new clinical commissioning policy to guide and expand access to BRCA testing was published by NHS England in July 2015. This policy is intended to provide greater clarity and equity for patients across England wishing to consider testing by providing consistent criteria for referral, where a referral is made by a specialist clinic.

Genetics: Screening

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish data on molecular genetic test activity rates in 2012-13 and each subsequent year.

George Freeman: Data on molecular genetic testing for 2012-13 and subsequent years are not currently held centrally. The UK Genetic Testing Network (UKGTN) is working to publish data on molecular testing activity in collaboration with the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) and NHS England. UKGTN is also working with the devolved administrations to ensure that they are legally able to share these data with the HSCIC.

Genetics: Screening

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will require a UK Genetics Testing Network to audit Clinical Commissioning Policy: Genetic Testing for BRCA1/2 Mutations, published by NHS England in 2014.

George Freeman: NHS England published a new Clinical Commissioning Policy on Genetic Testing for BRCA1/2 mutations in July 2015, based on updated guidelines issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Subject to the need to appropriately handle patient identifiable data, NHS England would be willing to work with the UK Genetic Testing Network (UKGTN) to consider and monitor changes in uptake of BRCA testing following the publication of the 2015 Clinical Commissioning Policy.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2015 to Question 227900, how much of the £250 million additional funding that was committed has been spent; and how many children and young people with mental health problems this funding has supported.

Alistair Burt: The Government will be making available £1.4 billion over the course of this Parliament to transform children and young people’s mental health. £173 million of this has been allocated in 2015-16.It is too early to quantify how many Children and Young People have benefited from this additional investment.A significant proportion of the additional funding is being allocated to clinical commissioning groups upon completion of the assurance of Local Transformation Plans which every area has produced on children and young people’s mental health. These plans cover the full spectrum of mental health issues, from prevention and resilience building, to support and care for existing and emerging mental health problems, as well as transitions between services and addressing the needs of the most vulnerable. Plans are currently being assured by NHS England’s regional assurance teams. Funding is being released as individual plans receive a satisfactory assessment and expenditure will be monitored over the remainder of this financial year.In addition, the additional funding available this year will support continued improvement of existing services through the expansion of the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme. It will also strengthen the capacity and capability of workforce including providing training and improve data and information in order to deliver the vision set out in Future in Mind by 2020.

Mental Health Services: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children were admitted to adult inpatient mental health wards in 2014-15.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2015 to Question 227900, why people are counted only once during the year regardless of how many times they were in hospital; and whether he plans to change this counting method.

Alistair Burt: The following table provides data on the number of children admitted to adult inpatient mental health wards in 2014-15.Table 1:The number of people age 18 or under who spent time in hospital [1] during the year in National Health Service funded adult secondary mental health services by mental health provider and age[2]People under 18 years of age2014/15England Total39115 or under7516-17316Source: Health and Social Information Centre, Monthly Health Minimum DatasetThe Health and Social Care Information Centre routinely collects data on the number of individuals who spent time in hospital during the year, either as a result of an admission in that year or a continuing admission from a previous year. They also collect data on the number of admissions in the year. This count of admissions can include the same individual more than once.Question 227900 specifically asked for the number of individual children admitted to adult mental health wards. In order to do provide this, it is necessary to count each individual once during the year regardless of how many times they were in hospital.Both the number of individuals and the number of admissions appear in the Health and Social Care Information Centre annual Mental Health Bulletin analysis. There are no plans to change the way in which information is routinely collected or provided by the Information Centre.[1] People are counted only once during the year regardless of how many times they were in hospital[2] This analysis is based on data which does not contain date of birth. The numbers are presented by a derived age which could be up to a year greater than their age at the time of the hospital stay. The derived age is the person’s age at the end of the year of their end of the spell of care, whichever is greater. So, for example a person aged 16 when they spent time in hospital in April, will be 17 by the end of the year, maybe still on a caseload, they will be categorised as age 17.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many specialist mental health centres for those with drug and alcohol addiction were funded by NHS England in each of the last three years; and how many people each such centre supported.

Alistair Burt: Drug and alcohol addiction services are not commissioned by NHS England. These services are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups and local authorities.

Mental Health Services: Veterans

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Community and Social Care of 14 October 2015, Official Report, column 464, how many veterans the 10 mental health teams have supported in each year since they were opened.

Alistair Burt: From April 2013 to 30 September 2015 the 10 NHS England regional veteran mental health teams have supported a total of 8,425 veterans. This is broken down in the table below.2013/142014/152015/16 to September 20152,7413,5052,179The numbers represent the total accessing the 10 veterans focussed services in England. Veterans are also able to make full use of NHS mental health services, for example, in 2013/14, 14,882 self-identified veterans used local Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services.Numbers were not collected centrally prior to April 2013.

Leukaemia: Drugs

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the availability of medicines which treat patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia who are resistant or intolerant to tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapies.

George Freeman: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued technology appraisal guidance on a number of tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapies as possible treatment options for patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia.NICE has recommended imatinib (Gleevec) and nilotinib (Tasigna) as first-line treatments for some patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia and nilotinib for some patients who are intolerant or resistant to imatinib. NICE has not been able to recommend dasatinib (Sprycel) and bosutinib (Bosulif) for use on the National Health Service. Further information about NICE’s guidance on chronic myeloid leukaemia is available at: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/conditions-and-diseases/cancer/blood-and-bone-marrow-cancersCommissioners are legally required to fund drugs and treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance within three months of its final guidance being issued. In the absence of guidance from NICE, it is for commissioners to make decisions on whether to fund medicines based on an assessment of the available evidence.Dasatinib and bosutinib are available as second-line treatment options for some patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia through the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). A further drug, ponatinib, is available through the CDF as a possible first-line treatment option for some patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Department of Health: Employment Agencies

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost of using external agencies for recruitment to senior Civil Service posts in his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison: The Department uses external recruitment agencies to support appointments to the Senior Civil Service (SCS). The table below shows the costs of SCS appointments that have been made where a recruitment agency was involved, for each financial year since 2010/11.YearSpend1 April 2010 – 31 March 2011£45,6731 April 2011 – 31 March 2012£160,4041 April 2012 – 31 March 2013£49,2751 April 2013 – 31 March 2014£76,9731 April 2014 – 31 March 2015£68,9061 April 2015 – November 2015£7,450

Care Homes: Food

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department is providing to the Care Quality Commission for improving the quality of food in care and nursing homes.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce poor nutrition among elderly people (a) in general and (b) in nursing and care homes.

Alistair Burt: Public Health England (PHE) advocates a healthy food provision for all regardless of age, including those who are undernourished. This is a selection of food and drink which meets daily nutrient needs in a healthier more sustainable way.PHE has published a range of catering guidance and supporting tools offering practical advice to support healthier and more sustainable food provision across a range of settings. This includes a toolkit for serving food to older people (including those in residential settings or community settings where older people may receive support, such as “meals on wheels” and take part in social activity such as lunch clubs).The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, all providers of regulated activities have to register with the CQC and follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality, below which care should never fall. Regulation 14 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, requires registered providers to meet nutritional and hydration needs.This fundamental standard requires that a service user receives suitable and nutritious food and hydration which is adequate to sustain life and good health. Care providers need to take into account the service users preferences or their religious or cultural background. Service users should also receive support to eat and drink if necessary.The CQC inspects providers to see if they are meeting these fundamental standards and provides clear direction on areas that require improvement. The CQC has a wide range of enforcement powers if a provider fails to meet the fundamental standards.

Obesity: Children

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking in response to the finding of research by P. Zainotto et al, forecasting obesity to 2010, published in 2006, that around 97 per cent of obese children come from families where at least one parent is obese or overweight.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the prevalence of child obesity and (b) whether there is a correlation between child obesity and deprivation; and what steps his Department is taking to address that issue.

Jane Ellison: We know obesity rates in children are far too high and children in lower income groups are more likely to be obese than the rest of the population, but it is an issue across all groups.Tackling obesity, particularly in children, is one of our major priorities. Progress has been made in recent years, but we know we have much further to go. We will announce our plans for tackling childhood obesity in the new year.

Palliative Care

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to improve understanding of palliative and end-of-life care in nursing and care homes.

Ben Gummer: We are committed to ensuring everyone at the end of life receives high quality, compassionate care that is tailored to their individual needs and preferences. This applies to all settings in which palliative and end of life care is delivered, including nursing and care homes.To achieve this, we introduced a new approach to end of life care in 2014 based on five priorities for care of the dying person. It is for individuals and organisations delivering end of life care, including care homes, to ensure that the care they provide is based on the priorities. The Implementation Guidance for Service Providers and Commissioners and the Duties and Responsibilities of Health and Care Staff, which accompanied the priorities, set out clear expectations for organisations to ensure their staff receive the right training in palliative and end of life care.In addition, Skills for Care, which works to support staff working in adult social care to develop their skills and knowledge has developed end of life care qualifications, guidance and resources to equip workers to recognise and manage end of life situations effectively.In April 2015, Skills for Care launched the new Care Certificate, an identified set of standards that health and social care workers should adhere to in their daily lives. The Certificate includes end of life care and provides confidence that all health and care workers have the same introductory skills, knowledge and behaviours to provide compassionate, safe and high quality care and support.I intend to announce further policy on end of life care in due course.

First Aid

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the role of first aid in (a) public health prevention strategies, (b) reducing the number of deaths, injuries and disabilities and (c) reducing pressures on A&E and other emergency services.

Jane Ellison: It is recognised the timely application of first aid can help minimise the impact of injuries, and of health conditions such as heart attacks and strokes.The NHS Choices website contains information for the public on first aid responses to various injuries and health incidents. In addition, the Government has made £1 million available this year to make public access to defibrillators more widely available, with the aim of improving survival from out of hospital cardiac arrests. The Public Health England Act Fast campaign also aims to raise awareness of the symptoms of stroke, teach people what to look out for in themselves and others, and encourage those who notice the symptoms to call 999.

Department of Health: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) complaints and (b) investigations into complaints made by civil servants against special advisers in his Department there have been in each of the last five years; and how many such (i) complaints and (ii) investigations are outstanding.

Jane Ellison: There have been no complaints or investigations into complaints made by civil servants against special advisers in the Department of Health in any of the last five years. None are outstanding.